They Call Me Ebony: The Fifth Marauder
by Dndchk
Summary: Elizabeth Auberey is the fifth Marauder, but no one remembers her. It's like she didn't even exist. So who is she? What happened to her? And why is she having strange dreams that seem to be about the future? First year. COMPLETELY CANON! RL/OC. Rating will get higher in the future. Please read- I promise you won't be dissappointed, if you like 5th Marauder stories.
1. Birthday Omens

**A/N: Alright, to those of you who are new to this story- HI! To those of you who have been following- this is a repost of Chapter one. I've gone through and touched some stuff up, and since I didn't type this on an iPhone like I did the first time around, there will hopefully be less spelling errors. I noticed that Liz had some Mary Sueness up until chapter five, so I'll be editing that also. I'd like to think I've improved as a writer since I began.**

**So, yeah, this is my story about MY fifth Marauder, And like I said in the summary, it's all canon. You won't find out why until part eight, but I hope you all like it anyway.**

**I'm only going to edit maybe the first three or so chapters, but other than that, the rest of this will stay the same.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot and the OCs, one of which who is a blatant self-insert.**

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"Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!"

The now eleven- year old Elizabeth opened her eyes groggily. Her parents, Lauren and Jefferson Auberey, stood beaming at her. Her mother was carrying a tray laden with orange juice and waffles. Her father was holding a thick envelope with green ink scrawled across it. The sight of the envelope sent a jolt of adrenaline through her. Elizabeth had been praying for her Hogwarts letter for years now, and finally, her prayers had been answered. She sat up, instantly awake.

Elizabeth grabbed the letter without warning, and gazed in awe at the envelope, then ripped it open. She squealed with delight when she saw the letter she'd been waiting for her whole life.

"I'm going to Hogwarts!" she yelled, throwing her arms around her father's neck. He chuckled and gently pried her loose. "Can we go to Diagon Alley today mum? Please? Please? Please?"

Mrs. Auberey laughed as well. "As soon as you eat-" Elizabeth promptly began shoveling waffles in her mouth. "-and get dressed, we can go. But slow down, dear, you'll choke."

Elizabeth stuffed another gargantuan bite in her mouth. "Na gudda arn ul? Eesh?"

"Swallow, then speak."

"Can I get a barn owl? Please?" She gazed at her parents with pleading eyes.

"As long as he doesn't bite me, of course." Mr. Auberey kissed his daughter on the head. "I have to go to work, sweetie. Happy Birthday, and have fun. Diagon Alley sounds amazing- it's a shame I'll probably never see it..." Mr. Auberey gave his daughter another hug and left.

Elizabeth stared after her father in dismay. "Dad can't stay home and watch Chris?" Christopher was her little brother. He was eight and she loved him dearly, but didn't want him tagging along after them in Diagon Alley.

Her mother broke into her thoughts. "Actually, Chris will be going over to Andrew's house, so I only need to keep one of you out of Knockturn Alley."

Elizabeth's smile rekindled. "Yes!" She shoved the last waffle into her mouth, chugged the orange juice, and leapt off the bed in the direction of her closet. Mrs. Auberey smiled to herself as she took the tray downstairs, set it in the sink, and bewitched it to start cleaning itself.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth threw on a ratty T-Shirt and jeans, her fingers fumbling in her haste. As she hurried to the door, she paused to examine her reflection in the mirror. A small, slender girl with short, choppy brown hair and big, bright hazel eyes stared back at her. In other words, she looked exactly the same as yesterday. Elizabeth sighed. She was eleven now, and had kind of thought there would be some noticeable change- namely, she'd be taller. She stuck her tongue out. The girl in the mirror did the same.

"Liz? Elizabeth? Come on, dear, I want to be back in time for dinner!" her mother called.

"Coming, mum!" Elizabeth grabbed her jacket, stuffed her feet into her shoes, and raced down the stairs, taking them three at a time.

Elizabeth's father was a muggle, and her mother a muggle-born, so they both preferred to use nonmagical means of transportation. Elizabeth wished they could have Flooed, or side-along Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, but nooo, they had to take the car. Elizabeth bounced excitedly in her seat the entire time it took to drive to the Leaky Cauldron. When the car pulled up in front of a shabby looking building, she pressed her face to the glass. "Is that the Leaky Cauldron, mum?"

"Mmm- hmm. Dear, you're leaving nose prints on the glass."

Elizabeth hopped out of the car and wiped the window with her sleeve, smearing the nose mark, and followed her mother inside. They said hello to a balding man named Tom, and went to the alley out back. Mrs. Auberey pulled out her wand and tapped a brick above the trash can. It wriggled, and the bricks around it began to move as well, clearing an archway that four people abreast could have easily fit through.

Elizabeth's eyes widened. Diagon Alley was just as fantastic as she'd been told. Although it was still relatively early in the morning, the narrow street was already crowded with shoppers.

"Where do you want to go first?" Mrs. Auberey smiled as her daughter's big eyes got even bigger.

"Umm..." Elizabeth scanned the street. There were so many places to choose from... She pointed. "Madam Malkin's. They have the uniforms, right?" Elizabeth was dying to get her own Hogwarts uniform.

"Madam Malkin's it is then!" Mrs. Auberey said. "But Elizabeth, please stay close. I don't want you getting lost."

They made their way down the street and into the shop. A young witch dressed in mauve greeted them. "Hogwarts, dear?" she asked, stooping to Elizabeth's eye level. Elizabeth nodded. "Come on into the back then, we have a boy and his father just come in for his uniform."

Elizabeth's mother kissed her on the forehead. "I'll be just across the street at Flourish and Blotts," she said. "Behave yourself, sweetie."

"Okay, mum." Elizabeth followed the witch deeper into the store, feeling rather nervous without her mother's comforting presence.

A thin, pale boy with brown hair, dark circles under his eyes and a long scar on his right cheek was being fitted. Elizabeth hopped up on the stool next to him and the witch slipped a robe over her head. "Hi," she said. "So you're going to Hogwarts too?" The boy nodded. For some reason, he suddenly looked nervous. "I'm Elizabeth Auberey. What's your name?" The boy's lips moved but no sound came out. "What? I didn't hear you."

"R-Remus L-Lupin." Elizabeth wondered why he was stuttering. Perhaps he was just shy.

"Remus? Like Romulus and Remus? That's a cool name." She grinned.

"Er...thanks?" Remus said uncertainly.

"Honestly, I'm not going to bite you," Elizabeth continued, wondering why he'd jumped. "I just want to talk to you. Know what house you'll be in?"

"I-I don't know. I s-suppose R-Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad."

"Ravenclaw? That's the house my mum was in. I don't know if I'm smart enough though. Gryffindor seems pretty cool. Mum says I'm certainly brave enough. One time, I climbed onto the roof of our house to get a baseball- fell nearly twenty feet, broke both arms. I was lucky it wasn't my neck. I did get the baseball, though," Elizabeth laughed. Remus looked like he didn't know wether to laugh as well, or not. "You do know what a baseball is, don't you?"

"Yeah, my mum's a muggle-born. She taught me some stuff."

"Same here," Elizabeth said, glad that he was finally starting to open up. "What about your dad? Mine's a muggle."

"Pure-blood." Remus was definitely becoming more friendly as they talked.

Right then, the witch doing Remus' robes told him be was done. A tall man who looked like he could be Remus' father appeared from behind some dress robes. "You're finished then? Let's go. We need to get your books." He spoke with an almost cool attitude toward his son. Elizabeth frowned.

"See you on the train then?" she called, but Remus had already gone. Elizabeth sighed. Her first potential friend and he hadn't even bothered to say good-bye.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Auberey reentered the shop, clutching a bag of spellbooks. "Nearly done?" she said to Elizabeth, siting in a nearby chair to wait. "You'll never believe who I ran into at the bookstore!"

"Who?" Elizabeth asked. Her mother's tone piqued her interest.

"Walburga Black and her son," Mrs. Auberey said with a disgusted look on her face. "I suppose he's starting at Hogwarts this year too. He'll be in Slytherin, of course. The whole family has been. You'd better stay away from him, Elizabeth, he'll be a bad influence, you mark my words."

"Mum?" Elizabeth had never heard her mother talk that way before. "Do you know her?"

"Mrs. Black was five years above me at Hogwarts, her husband too. You'd best stay away from their son, if he's anything like his parents. They hate muggles, and muggle-borns to them are just as bad."

She looked at her daughter solemnly. "I just don't want you to get hurt." Elizabeth swallowed. Suddenly, Hogwarts seemed like a lot less fun.

Elizabeth was quite glad when the witch told her she could go. They paid for her robes and left the shop. They visited the apothecary, which smelled rather horrible,, then Eyelops Owl Emporium. They left with a gorgeous barn owl with a heart shaped face, which Elizabeth christened her Athena.

As they headed up the street to Olivanders', they passed a small plump boy ("I think I left my list at home!") and his mother outside Quality Quiddich Supplies. When they reached the wandmaker's store, the door burst open and a boy with glasses and untidy black hair came racing out.

"Hurry, mum! I wanna check out the new Cleansweep!" He bumped into the chubby boy ("Sorry!") and disappeared into the Quiddich store.

"James, wait up!" His mother hurried after him. Elizabeth made a mental note to stay far away from the odd boy. He was either hyped up on sugar, or caffeine, or both.

Mr. Olivander was waiting for them. "Ah, yes, Miss Lauren, or should I call you Mrs. Auberey now? It is a pleasure to see you again. I still remember your wand. Ten and a quarter inches, cherry and unicorn hair, good for charms." He studied Elizabeth. "And this must be your daughter." Addressing Elizabeth specifically, he asked, "Which is your wand arm?"

"My right." Elizabeth watched in fascination as Mr. Olivander's tape measure began measuring her. Mr. Olivander, meanwhile, was pulling boxes off the shelves, stirring up dust. Elizabeth wanted to sneeze.

"Here you go, Miss Auberey, try this one." Mr. Olivander handed Elizabeth a wand and the tape measure crumpled. "Hawthorn and dragon heartstring, twelve inches." Elizabeth raised the wand, but Mr. Olivander snatched it back. "Rosewood and phoenix feather, nine and three-quarters inches, flexible." Again, before Elizabeth could do anything, Mr. Olivander pulled it away. She tried at least eight more wands before he handed her- "Hickory and unicorn hair, fourteen inches, sturdy. Perhaps..."

Elizabeth took the wand and a surge of warmth swept through her body. She raised the wand and a jet of green vapor streamed out of the tip. Slowly, it took form: a skull with a snake for a tongue. They watched, horrified by the grisly image, as the smoke slowly dissolved.

Elizabeth broke the silence. "What was that?"

Mr. Olivander lowered his eyes to meet hers. "That is no ordinary wand, Miss Auberey. The unicorn who gave its hair for the core was not the typical silver, but was one of the fabled ebony unicorns." Elizabeth's eyes narrowed in confusion, but her mother gasped in horror. "You see, the appearance of an ebony unicorn always signifies dark times ahead. The last one was seen shortly before Grindelwald's rise to power. I obtained the hair for your wand not two weeks ago. Combining this with the strange symbol you produced, I greatly fear that dark times will soon be upon us again..."

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**A/N: It's kind of funny to think that only a few months ago, I was a noob author who was completely unrecognized in fanfiction- I'm not kidding when the original author's note said something along the lines of 'assuming anyone's going to actually read this', no joke!**

**The part about the ebony unicorns is from Dungeons and Dragons 4e about black unicorns. DnD forever!**

**Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope you enjoy.**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**


	2. Never Saw it Coming

**A/N: Well, Chapter Two is now revised! Enjoy, my lovelies!**

**Disclaimer: Like I said, still don't own it. Shame...**

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To Elizabeth, the week couldn't have been slower. Christopher had snuck into her room one afternoon, stolen her wand and accidentally-on-purpose set her bed on fire, but other than that, nothing of great interest happened.

Finally, the big day arrived. Elizabeth woke up at four, but was too excited to go back to sleep. She dressed in muggle clothes and packed her trunk, then sat, reading her Defense Against the Dark Arts book until the rest of the house woke up. Too nervous to eat, Elizabeth drummed her fingers on the table until her family was done, then dragged her trunk and owl downstairs and loaded them in the car. She climbed into the backseat and bounced up and down until everyone had piled in.

When they reached King's Cross, Mr. Auberey loaded Elizabeth's trunk and owl onto a trolley and headed for the barrier separating platforms nine and ten. "Now Elizabeth," her mother said, "You need to run at the barrier. Don't stop unless you want to crash. Do you want me to come with you?"

Elizabeth eyed the barrier dubiously. "No." She took a deep breath. "I'll go on my own." She grabbed the trolley and began to walk. Fast, then faster, until she broke into a run. She closed her eyes right before she hit the barrier. When she opened them, she was standing on Platform 9 3/4. Elizabeth began to laugh as her family appeared behind her. She had done it.

"You'd better hurry, sweetie, you don't want to be late," Mr. Auberey said.

Elizabeth hugged her parents and brother. Now that she was leaving, for the first time, she began to wonder how she would manage without her family. "I'll miss you guys," she sniffled, trying not to cry. "I promise I'll write to you. Lots!"

"So will we, sweetie. Now, don't eat too many sweets on the train-"

"Study hard-"

"And stay out of trouble!"

"I promise! I love you!" Elizabeth hugged them again, then with her parents' help, pulled her luggage onto the train. Elizabeth began searching for a compartment. She felt oddly alone.

Near the middle of the train, she found an empty compartment. Stowing her trunk and owl, she pulled out her Defense book and opened it to where she'd left off.

She'd been reading for less than a minute when the door slid open, and to her surprise, the boy from Madam Malkin's, Remus Lupin, stepped in. "Do you mind?" he asked, half-turned to leave.

"Nah, sit down." Elizabeth almost closed her book until she noticed that Remus had pulled one out as well. _Not really the sociable type,_ Elizabeth thought. _Oh, well._ She returned to her book, but secretly wished he would talk to her. He'd seemed nice back in Diagon Alley, but if he didn't want to talk, it wasn't like she could force him.

As the train started to move, two boys came in, laughing and dragging their trunks behind them. One of them seemed vaguely familiar. Then she remembered- the boy with the messy black hair and glasses was the one who had nearly run her over at Olivander's. James, his name was. Wasn't it? It looked like Elizabeth wasn't going to be able to stay away from him this train ride. Dear Merlin, help her.

"Are you serious?" James asked, choking on his laughter.

"No, I'm _Sirius_!" Both boys exploded into fits of hysteria. Remus peered at them over his book, shook his head, and went back to reading, but not before shooting Elizabeth a grin.

Without asking the two occupants their permission, James and his friend stowed their things and plopped down into seats opposite each other.

"Who're you?" James asked suddenly, turning to Elizabeth. She ignored him. He poked her. "Hello? Anybody home?"

"No," Elizabeth said, hoping he'd go away.

"Aw, c'mon, I wanna know your name!" He nudged Remus with his foot. "You too."

"Remus Lupin. Go away," he said, not looking up. Elizabeth coughed, trying to mask a snigger.

"I'm James Potter, and this is Sirius Black."

Elizabeth looked up. The Black boy had shoulder length black hair and grey eyes that sparkled with mischief. This couldn't be the boy her mother had warned her about, could it? Elizabeth edged away, trying to make the motion inconspicuous.

"Cool, you're not dead." Sirius grinned good- naturedly at her. "So what's your name?"

"Er, Elizabeth Auberey." She put her book down, watching him warily. He certainly didn't _seem_ like he was a bad kid. After a moment, she allowed herself to relax. Her mother was too quick to judge sometimes, she decided. Just because most Blacks were nasty didn't mean all of them were, after all.

Elizabeth looked at James and noticed a double T badge pinned to his shirt. Her eyes widened. "No! You're a Tornadoes fan?"

"Yeah, you got a problem with that?" James' eyes narrowed.

"Yeah, I got a problem with that! I'm a Canons fan, have been since I was three!" She clutched her heart dramatically. "You're killing me! Oh, the pain! The paaain!"

Sirius and James laughed. Even Remus' lips twitched, like he was trying to fight back a smile.

"So what about you?" Elizabeth asked Sirius. He shrugged.

"I don't really have a team-" Elizabeth and James gave mock gasps of horror. "-but if I had to choose, I'd say probably the Wimbourne Wasps. As a general rule, I only like national league games. The others are just too tame." He shrugged.

"I heard the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin matches are brutal," James said. "I hope to try out for the team next year."

Just then, the door slid open and a boy with a large nose and greasy black hair entered, followed by a slim girl with emerald green eyes and dark red hair. They sat down opposite each other, against the door.

"You'd better be in Slytherin," the greasy boy was saying. He was obviously continuing a conversation from the corridor.

"Slytherin?" James looked around. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?"

Sirius stuck his feet up on the space between James and Elizabeth, grimacing. "My whole family's been in Slytherin."

"Blimey, and I thought you were alright!" James cried.

"Yeah, we'll, I'm thinking about breaking the tradition." Sirius grinned. "Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

James lifted an imaginary sword. "Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Just like my dad. What about you, Liz?"

Elizabeth scowled at him. "Don't call me Liz. Anyway, I suppose Gryffindor of Ravenclaw, but if I had the choice, Gryffindor."

The greasy boy sneered. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-" Elizabeth fumed.

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius interrupted. James and Elizabeth burst into laughter.

"Nice one!" Elizabeth gasped. Sirius smirked.

The girl stiffened. "Come on, Severus. Let's find another compartment." She flounced out the door.

"Oooh..." Sirius and Elizabeth mocked.

James tried to trip Severus on the way out. "See ya, Snivellus!"

The girl slammed the door shut. Remus looked up from his book, a frown on his face. "That wasn't very nice."

"He started it," Elizabeth said. "Besides, he's a git, couldn't you tell?" She slumped in her seat. "And as for that girl, I hope I'm not in the same house as her. I certainly don't fancy sharing a dorm with her."

"Really? She's gorgeous," James sighed, his eyes on the door.

Remus rolled his eyes. "We're eleven."

"So?" James and Sirius said at the same time. They grinned at one another.

The door slid open yet again, and the pudgy boy James had run into in Diagon Alley entered, dripping Stinksap and dragging his trunk.

"What happened to you?" Sirius demanded, eyeing the boy with disgust.

"I couldn't find a compartment, and when I tried to just sit down, the people thought it would be funny to cover me in Stinksap-" the boy spluttered as the foul slime dripped into his mouth.

"Here, let me get rid of that, Remus said, pulling his wand out. He consulted the book he was reading and pointed his wand at the boy. "Scourgify." The Stinksap vanished, taking the smell with it.

"Thanks!" The boy beamed at Remus. "Can I sit here?"

"Sure." Elizabeth and James scooted closer together and Peter sat down next to the window, across from Remus.

"I'm Peter, Peter Pettigrew." After the others had introduced themselves, he said, "I'm really nervous about getting sorted. I'll probably be in Hufflepuff, since I'm not particularly brave or clever or ambitious; at least, I don't think so..." Peter sighed. "But what if I'm not sorted for some reason? What if the teachers decide I'm not good enough for Hogwarts and send me home?"

Remus flinched, but Elizabeth was pretty sure she was the only one who noticed. James nudged her and raised his eyebrows at Remus. Elizabeth shrugged. Maybe Remus was just jumpy.

"Pfft, they won't send you home. Why on earth would they do that?" Sirius scoffed.

"I don't know! Maybe I'm not magic enough," Peter sighed.

"Don't worry then! If you got the letter to Hogwarts, you'll be fine," Elizabeth said firmly.

"I'm hungry," James said suddenly. "When's the snack cart supposed to come by?"

Remus looked at his watch. "Probably not for awhile. It's only eleven- thirty." Right when he'd finished speaking, the door opened yet again to reveal a plump witch pushing a trolley laden with sweets.

"You were saying?" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, shut up, Lizard- Breath." Everyone stared at Remus. He seemed shocked he'd said such a thing. "I- I'm so sorry, Elizabeth! I didn't mean-" He was cut off with a burst of laughter. After a pause, he hesitantly laughed as well.

The witch smiled and waited for them to calm down. Once they had, she said, "Anything from the trolley, dears?" Peter, James, Sirius and Elizabeth all jumped up eagerly, but Remus pinked and muttered something about not being hungry. He might have gotten away with the lie if he hadn't shot a jealous look at the candy.

James noticed as well and muttered to the others, "Get a little extra for Remus. I don't think he has the money for this." They nodded. Remus quickly went from pink to scarlet as they each dumped a potion of their goodies onto his lap.

"I- I couldn't. Really. Take it back." he tried to push the sweets away and found Elizabeth's wand pointing at him.

"Don't be thick. We got these for you. You look starved. Now, eat, or I'll hex you."

"How would you-" Peter began, but James stuffed a chocolate frog into the smaller boy's mouth to shut him up. Sirius was watching the spectacle with some amusement, his cheeks bulging from a Cauldron Cake.

Remus gave a small smile. "Thanks." He unwrapped a Pumpkin Pasty and began to nibble, then decided be didn't want to eat slowly and practically inhaled it.

It was hard to decide who was the biggest eater. Although Peter and James ate the most, the other three ate like they'd never see food again. In the end, they decided it was Sirius when his tummy gave a massive rumble not two minutes after he'd finished.

"Ugh," Elizabeth grunted as they all relaxed. "I feel like a brick. I bet I won't be able to eat at the feast."

"I bet you will," James said, smirking. He leaned back against the wall. "You know, believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to classes, especially Transfiguration. Mr. Olivander said my wand was good for that. What about you guys?"

"I'm looking forward to all of them, but potions seems like it'll be really hard," Remus sighed.

"All of them sound really hard," Peter fretted.

"Are you serious?" Sirius asked. "No, wait-"

"You're Sirius!" Everyone shouted.

"We know, mate, you don't have to bring it up every ten seconds," James said.

"Yeah, that joke was funny since never," Elizabeth added.

"Shut up, Lizard- Breath," Sirius grumbled.

"Same goes for that joke." Elizabeth glared at Remus.

They spent the rest of the train ride laughing and joking together. Peter dug out a pack of Exploding Snap cards and they played until darkness fell and their faces were smudged with soot.

Around six o'clock, disembodied voice echoed throughout the train: "We will be arriving at Hogwarts in five minutes. Please leave your trunks and animals on the train. They will be sent up to the castle. Thank you."

Peter gave a squeak that sounded like a mouse being stepped on. James, Sirius and Elizabeth all looked nervous, but Remus had paled visibly, making the scar on his face stand out.

They pulled on their robes, which were still a plain black. Elizabeth knew that once they were sorted, the cuffs, neck and hem of the uniforms would change to match their House colors. She hoped desperately that they were all in the same House. These four boys were the first friends she'd had in a long time and didn't want that to be ruined by being sorted into different Houses.

The train slowed to a crawl, chugging through the streets of a small village. "Hogsmeade," Remus commented.

"What?" Peter asked, turning away from the window.

"This must be Hogsmeade. It's the only all-wizarding settlement in Britain, and was originally established by the founders as a place for their teachers to live during the summer term. It's not used for that now, though a few teachers might have their homes there. The inn-"

"Okay, no need to go into detail," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. Remus frowned and bit his lip.

"Sorry," he murmured.

Finally, the train stopped and they joined the crowd of people flooding the corridor, holding on to the backs of each others' robes so as not to get separated.

They stepped outside into the cool night air. "Now what?" James spoke for all of them.

"Firs' years! Firs' years, this way please! Over here!" A giant of a man stomped through the crowd, holding a lantern over everyone's heads. "Firs' years!" He called again. The five friends hurried over to him. A crowd of nervous first years huddled around him. "All righ', yeh lot?" he said. "Me name's Rubeus Hagrid, keeper o' the keys an' grounds at Hogwarts, but yeh can call me Hagrid. I'll be showing' yeh her firs' sight o' Hogwarts. Follow me." He turned and stumped off, his lantern beam cutting through the night.

"Do you think it's true that the first years go across the Black Lake by boat?" Elizabeth muttered to Sirius. He shrugged, but smirked thoughtfully to himself as he studied James' back...

"Yeh'll be getting' yer firs' glimpse o' the castle jus' up here," Hagrid called. They rounded a corner and everyone oohed. The school was beautiful. Reflected perfectly in a calm, dark lake below, it sat perched high on a hilltop, overlooking the lake and the valley containing it. Every window looked to be lit up, and Elizabeth could just make out the minuscule shapes of horseless carriages pulling up to the front doors and letting the nearly invisible students out.

Hagrid led them to a sheltered beach where a small fleet of boats was sitting on the sand. "No more'n four ter a boat," Hagrid called. He pushed one of the boats into the water and turned to help the nearest students in.

The five looked at one another, wondering who was going to be kicked out. "I'll go," Peter offered. He turned and walked over to Severus and the redheaded girl.

"Well, that was easy," Elizabeth said. "Come on, let's get this boat in the water." They put their shoulders to the smooth wood and pushed, cheering when boat slid down the sand to sit bobbing in the lake. They clambered in without Hagrid's help.

"Right!" Hagrid called when everyone was seated. "Everyone ready? Forward!" The boats began to glide across the lake.

Elizabeth tipped her head back to get a better view of Hogwarts. It really was as beautiful as her mother had told her, like something from a fairytale. She was quickly distracted by James' shaking her shoulder.

"I heard there was a giant squid in the lake, and if anyone fell in, it would throw you back out," James said. "Dunno if it's true, but that would be cool, wouldn't it?" He peered over the side of the boat, trying to see into it's murky depths.

"I don't know," Elizabeth replied. "I wouldn't want a slimy tentacle wrapping itself around me..." she shuddered. "Urgh." As she spoke, James leaned out even further, causing the boat to tip slightly.

Sirius got an evil gleam in his eye that Elizabeth really didn't like. He leaned over and shoved James squarely in the back, pushing him out of the boat. James' bellow of indignation was quickly silenced as he sank below the water.

His head popped back up. "I can't swim!" he yelled, flailing his arms wildly. If nobody had turned to stare at the splash, they'd certainly be looking now.

Sirius blanched. "Oh, Merlin! I'm so sorry!" he cried, reaching over the side so James could grab his arm. Quicker than a striking snake, James caught hold and, with a mighty pull, Sirius found himself in the water with his friend. Remus and Elizabeth were barely able to keep the boat from capsizing. The first yeast were roaring with laughter- even Hagrid was chuckling- but the redhead and Severus looked haughty and disapproving.

A giant tentacle broke the surface of the lake. The students screamed, and James and Sirius tried to swim away, but the thing wrapped itself around both of them before they got far. Elizabeth was certain that she'd never see them again when it dumped them unceremoniously into the boat and disappeared into the inky blackness.

The two boys were giggling like idiots. Sirius shook his head, doglike, spraying them all with water.

"Gah! Sirius!" Elizabeth yelled. Remus wiped his face with a resigned expression.

"All right' yeh two?" Hagrid called. "Yeh sure? Heads down!" he yelled as the boats passed through an ivy curtain and into an underground harbor.

Someone sneezed, the sound echoing around the room and amplifying the noise. Several students jumped.

"Right' then! Almos' there. C'mon, yeh lot." Hagrid led them up a set of stairs carved into the hillside and across the grounds. They approached the massive oaken from doors, where Hagrid told them to stop. They clustered around him as he raised a giant fist to the door.

He knocked.

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**A/N: So, yeah, chapter two is revised and all. I'll be working on chapter three in a bit. I would like to hear what you thought of the changes, so please let me know!**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**


	3. The Sorting Hat's Warning

**A/N: So, it was around this chapter that I deleted the story on accident, all those weeks ago. I remember crying- I had four reviews already, and I felt so special. I will remember those forever.**

**I forgot to re-type the dedication to millie-mae in my last chapter, because she was the first one ever to review my story. Hugs to you forever!**

**Disclaimer: As I am obviously not the very awesome JKR, none of these characters except OCs belong to me. Darn.**

* * *

The doors flew open. Standing in the center of the doorway was a middle-aged witch with emerald green robes and her hair pulled into a tight bun. Elizabeth thought instantly that this was someone she really didn't want to get into trouble in front.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take them from here." Hagrid nodded and disappeared into the castle. The sound of his boots clunk-clunk-clunking into the Great Hall echoed through the entrance hall. The students looked fearfully at the woman.

"If you'll follow me, please." She turned and led them into the castle, through the entrance hall, and into an antechamber. Once the students had quieted down, she said, "Welcome to Hogwarts. I am Professor McGonagall, deputy headmistress and Transfiguration teacher. In a few minutes, you will be sorted into your Houses. There are four different houses, one for each of the four founders of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Your triumphs will earn your House points, while rule breaking will lose you points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points will be awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I suggest you smarten yourselves up while you wait." Her eyes fell on James and Sirius, who were both still sopping wet. She shook her head, then said, "I will be back momentarily." McGonagall left, closing the door behind her.

The students broke into nervous chatter, all wondering what they'd have to do to be sorted.

"I heard we had to wrestle a troll!" A tall boy said.

"My brother said something about a banshee!" A curly-haired girl cried.

"I've been reading about magical monsters- maybe it'll be a vampire? Or a werewolf?" The redhead said. Remus jumped.

Peter put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Remus. Werewolves are really dangerous. There's no way they'd let one into the castle." Remus paled visibly. "Did I say something wrong?" Peter asked.

"N-no, I'm just n-nervous..." Remus stuttered.

Severus smirked and whispered something to the redhead. The girl immediately relaxed, and she actually laughed.

Professor McGonagall returned after a few minutes. She pointed her wand at Sirius and James, whose clothes dried immediately. "If you'll follow me..." She led them out of the room and into the Great Hall. Immediately, Elizabeth looked up. The ceiling was just like her mother had described. The sky was navy blue, shot through with streaks of crimson and violent orange. As she watched, several clouds drifted across the ceiling.

Elizabeth brought her gaze back to earth, looking around the Great Hall for the first time. The four House tables stretched almost to the far wall, stopping several feet from the head table. Professor McGonagall stopped the first years in the space between the tables, and Elizabeth was able to get a good look at what the rest of the students were staring at.

Sitting on a stool in front of the head table was a ragged and dirty hat. Elizabeth eyed it dubiously, wondering how a hat was supposed to sort them. Her mum had never said, insisting it was traditional not to tell new students about the process. Suddenly, the hat twitched, a mouthlike rip in the brim opened, and the hat began to sing:

_A thousand years or so ago_  
_The founders four all stood_  
_Deciding on the perfect way_  
_To choose students like they would._

_Their time on Earth was nearly up_  
_And they would soon be gone,_  
_So Gryffindor enchanted me _  
_And so I carry on_

_Dividing students year by year _  
_Just the way I should. _  
_In Gryffindor, the brave and bold, _  
_In Hufflepuff, the just and good._

_For Ravenclaw, the wity and wise, _  
_And Slytherin, the cunning and ambitious. _  
_Then Slytherin, he cut the ties _  
_Leaving the three suspicious._

_And so, since then, the Houses four _  
_Remained ever divided. _  
_But I see many darkened years _  
_Where they must soon stand united._

_So come now, children, tarry not _  
_And put me on your head. _  
_I will divide you, just like always, _  
_Though I fear it means our end._

The Hall was silent for a full ten seconds, then the students began to clap, shooting nervous looks at the Hat and at each other. Elizabeth glanced up at the head table, where the teachers were murmuring to one another.

"What do you reckon that was about?" Sirius muttered to Elizabeth. "I mean, has it ever warned people before? I don't like these dark times it mentioned..."

Dark times. Elizabeth slipped her hand into a deep pocket and fingered her wand, where the ebony unicorn's tail hair resided. Could it be that the unicorn and the Sorting Hat were warning them of the same thing?

Professor McGonagall unrolled a large scroll. "When I call your name, you will come forward to be sorted into your houses." She cleared her throat. "Auberey, Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth's knees suddenly turned to jelly. She didn't want to go first! No thank you! She looked around nervously. Remus gave her a small smile, James and Peter grinned at her and Sirius gently pushed her forward. She stumbled. There were some snickers from the students and Elizabeth flushed. She could feel her face burning as she sat on the stool and put the hat on her head.

"Ah, yes. I can see great intellect here, and a desire to do well in school. There is also much loyalty to your friends, though you have known them only a few hours. And there is a bravery in you- yes, I can see that you will be very brave indeed. There is a great destiny ahead for you, though I cannot see it clearly. Yes, with bravery like yours, you should be in GRYFFINDOR!"

The Hat shouted the last word out to the entire Hall, and the table decked in red and gold with a Gryffindor banner hanging above it exploded into cheers. Elizabeth pulled the Sorting Hat off, grinning from ear to ear, the Hat's words already forgotten. She caught her friends' eyes and the grin widened. She hurried over to the Gryffindor table and collapsed next to a seventh year Prefect girl with wispy brown hair.

"Congratulations," the girl said. "Welcome to Gryffindor. I'm Cassandra Gordon."

"Elizabeth Auberey," Elizabeth said, holding her hand out. "Nice to meet you." She smiled at Cassandra. She seemed nice. Elizabeth turned to watch the Sorting.

"Bennett, Ryan!" A swarthy boy stepped forward nervously, but it took the Hat only a moment to decide.

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Black, Sirius!"

Sirius strolled casually to the stool, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Elizabeth noticed McGonagall's nostrils flare, and she suppressed a laugh.

* * *

Sirius sat on the stool, the Sorting Hat over his eyes.

"Hmm, another Black, eh? So far, I've only ever put your family into Slytherin... So where should I put you? I sense great intellect, but not much respect for studying, so Ravenclaw's out of the question... there is both daring, bordering on recklessness, and an intense loyalty to your friends. You definately belong in GRYFFINDOR!"

Sirius whipped the Hat off his head, stood, and bowed deeply in the direction of the Gryffindor table, where Elizabeth was cheering loudly. McGonagall rapped him sharply on the shoulder with the scroll and be hurried to sit next to Elizabeth.

"Two down, three to go," Sirius said as he took his seat. He checked his sleeves and was pleased to see that the cuffs had turned red.

"Shh!" was all she said in reply.

They turned to watch the sorting.

* * *

"Lupin, Remus!"

Remus' already pale face became even paler, causing his scar to really stand out. He walked stiffly up to the stool and sat down. He was so small that the Sorting Hat covered his head completely.

"Oh, yes, another Lupin. I remember sorting your father, John. Are you going to follow his footsteps and go into Ravenclaw? I see a keen mind and a love of learning. What's this...?" Remus could tell from the Hat's change of tone that it had just discovered that he was a werewolf. He clenched the stool tightly, praying that the Hat wouldn't shout it out for the entire school to hear. "Great Godric! Why would I ever do that?" It sounded amused. "I should like to think not! But there is great bravery in you- that you would not normally be welcomed to Hogwarts, yet you came here anyway... I think that decides it then! GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus let out a great sigh of relief as he went to sit with Sirius and Elizabeth. The redhead, Lily Evans, was sitting on Sirius' other side, looking like she desperately wanted to move. Elizabeth grinned at Remus, and he grinned back, relieved that his secret was still safe. For now.

* * *

"Pettigrew, Peter!"

Peter tripped over his robes as he made his way up to the stool. When he put the Hat on, it got stuck on his ears, allowing him to see the students watching him apprehensively.

"Pettigrew, hmm? It's been a while since I've had one of you. Now, where should I put you? Not Ravenclaw or Slytherin, certainly. But there isn't much bravery or loyalty as far as I can see, really..." The Hat began muttering to itself. Peter gulped. What if his fears were about to come true? What it he had to go home because there was no place for him?

Whispers began to sweep the Hall after some time, and Peter repeatedly heard the word 'Hatstall'. Peter didn't know what a Hatstall was. Maybe it meant students had been sent home before. His palms began to sweat. He looked at his friends, wondering if they would miss him.

"Your friends?" The Hat said. It thought about this for a while. "Yes, with the help if your friends, I am sure you could go far. But make sure you know where your loyalties lie when the time comes to make the choice." 'What choice?' Peter wanted to ask, but he never got the chance. "GRYFFINDOR!"

Peter handed the Hat to Professor McGonagall and ran to the seat across from Sirius, Remus and Elizabeth.

"Go, Peter!" Sirius yelled, punching him in the shoulder.

"Thanks," Peter grumbled, rubbing his arm. "What's a Hatstall?"

"It's when the Sorting Hat takes at least five minutes to sort somebody," a brunette next to Elizabeth said.

"Was it really that long?" Peter shook his head. "Wow."

"Shh! It's James' turn!"

* * *

James was the last of his friends to be called up. He'd watched as they were all sorted into Gryffindor, along with the cute redhead girl from the train, Lily Evans. Now he was doubly sure be wanted to be in Gryffindor, though he wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because of Lily, but she was just a cootie- infested girl. A cootie- infested girl with hair like flames and green eyes that sparkled in the candlelight...

James' thoughts were interrupted by McGonagall. "Potter, James!"

James walked confidently up to the stool and sat down. The instant the Hat touched his head, it bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!" James ran off to sit next to Peter.

"Welcome to Gryffindor, mate," Sirius said.

James snorted. "Yeah, big welcome from a bunch of first years. But hey, thanks anyway."

They watched the rest of the sorting impatiently. When "Zambrose, Melissa", had been made a Hufflepuff, and Professor McGonagall had taken the Sorting Hat and stool away, Professor Dumbledore stood up. "I have only two words for you," he said, smiling at them, "Dig in."

* * *

The food was exquisite. Elizabeth heaped her plate full of food until she had a small mountain sitting in front of her, and began inhaling it. After she and the boys had gotten seconds, they began to talk again.

"So what're your families like?" James asked, swallowing his pumpkin juice. "My parents are both purebloods, and they're really nice. Dad works for the auror office, and mum sometimes writes for the Daily Prophet."

"My parents are purebloods too, but they just live off the large fortunes they inherited," Sirius said, stabbing his knife into his steak, "So they spend their time trying to mold me and my little brother, Regulus, into perfect little Slytherins." He shook his head in disgust.

"Wait... Regulus? And your name's Sirius... Are _all_ your family named after stars?" Remus laughed.

"Pretty much. I have a great- aunt named Cassiopeia, and two of my cousins and an uncle are also named after stars or constellations. Figures my parents would name me after the Dog Star..."

"Hey, if the shoe fits," Elizabeth muttered. Everyone laughed. "So what about you, Remus? I met your dad in Diagon Alley, but never got to talk to, well, either of you, really."

"Dad works for the D-department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," Remus said. He stared out the window, lost in thought. His hand came up to touch the scar on his face.

"So what about your mum?" Peter asked.

Remus shook his head as though to clear it. "She's a muggleborn. She used to be a Healer at St. Mungo's, but quit when I was bi-" He cut himself off, then continued. "When I was born."

The mistake didn't go unnoticed by Elizabeth. "That's not what you were going to say," she accused.

"Yes, it was!" Remus argued, color rising in his cheeks.

"Was not!"

"It was a slip of the tongue!" Remus cried. Several heads turned their way.

"Liz, let it go. Like Remus said, it was a slip of the tongue. Happens all the time- I'm sure you've done it before, too," James said, putting his hand on her shoulder. Elizabeth nodded, but remained suspicious. She knew that's not what Remus was going to say. There was something he wasn't telling them. Sirius shrugged at her.

"What about your parents, Peter?" Remus said, clearly trying to turn the conversation away from himself.

"Well, I know both of my parents are purebloods, but my dad died when I was six. Mum is a diplomat between our Ministry of Magic and the one in Germany. She's away a lot, but since I don't have any siblings to get into trouble with, it doesn't really matter. Elizabeth?"

The food disappeared and was replaced with desserts. Elizabeth helped herself to fudge pie. "Well, my dad's a muggle, and he flies aeroplanes. Those are big metal bird things," she added in response to James', Sirius' and Peter's inquiring looks. "Mum's a muggleborn, and wanted to work with dragons when she graduated, but she married dad instead. Oh, and I also have a little brother named Christopher. He'll be starting Hogwarts when we're fourth years."

They finished dessert in a companionable silence. When the plates had cleared, Professor Dumbledore stood up. The Hall immediately fell silent. "Before you all go on up to bed, there are a few announcements to make.  
"First years should please note that the Forbidden Forest, is, in fact, forbidden, and several older students should take note as well. Magic is not to be done outside of the classrooms, and Fanged Frisbees are now number one hundred and four on the list of banned magical items. You may check the list on our caretaker, Mr. Filch's office door. Also, a new Whomping Willow has been planted on the grounds. It is very dangerous, and you are to stay away from it at all times unless you wish to be whomped.  
"Finally, I would like to welcome Professor Randal Dranseau, who will be taking the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck, professor!"

The students clapped loudly as a tall, thin man with a well- trimmed goatee stood and acknowledged them with a smile. Elizabeth thought he'd be a good teacher. Her mothe had told her stories of all the Defense teachers she'd had, the good, the bad, and the downright insane. Elizabeth hoped Dranseau would be a good teacher.

When it was time to go to bed, Cassandra led them up to the Gryffindor common room, gave the password 'Hexproof' to the Fat Lady, and showed them to their dorms.

There were three other girls in Elizabeth's year: the annoying redhead, Lily, and her two giggling friends, Sarah Clark and Victoria Shoots. Elizabeth immediately claimed the farthest bed from them.

"Hi." Sarah, who had the potential to be a muggle model when she was older, came over. "You're Elizabeth, right?"

"Yes," Elizabeth said grumpily. She'd had a long day and wanted to go to bed.

"Why we're you hanging out with Potter and Black?" Victoria asked. "Lily said they're prats." She tossed her long, dark hair over her shoulder.

"Well, maybe you should get to know them before you judge them. We got into an argument on the train, and Lily here-" she shot Lily a nasty look, "decided to leave. End of story. Really." She climbed into bed. "Now, good night." She yanked the hangings shut (pink, ugh!) and ignored them.

Elizabeth supposed the other girls stayed up talking, but she soon drifted off to sleep. Her dreams that night were very strange. Professor Dumbledore, wearing the Sorting Hat, lunged at her from the shadows. "Beware!" he hissed, and dissolved into smoke. The smoke morphed into several familiar shapes- herself, James, Lily, Sirius, Peter, and Remus, standing in a line, watching her.

The smoky Elizabeth suddenly disappeared, simply obliterated from existence. Next were Lily and James' in a flash of green light. Then Sirius disappeared in a cloud of black smoke, shot through with jets of red light. A flash of silver appeared at Peter's throat and he fell, merging with the shadows that covered the ground.

Only Remus was left. The dream shifted. He was now standing on a hilltop at night, his face turned to the full moon. A net of green light hit him directly in the heart and he collapsed next to a woman with pink hair... Elizabeth screamed. She screamed in shock and fear until her throat hurt and still kept screaming.

"Wake up! Wake up!" Someone was slapping her face. Elizabeth forced her eyes open. Lily was standing over her, her hand raised to slap her again. When she saw Elizabeth was awake, she lowered her hand. "Are you okay?"

"Why were you slapping me?" Elizabeth tried to sit up, but Lily forced her back down.

"You were yelling your head off and flailing around. Scared us to death..." Lily trailed off. Elizabeth's dream came rushing back at her, full force. She began to tremble. "Hey, it's alright, everything's fine," Lily whispered, patting Elizabeth's back comfortingly. Elizabeth couldn't bring herself to meet Lily's gaze.

"I- I'm fine. Just let me go back to sleep," Elizabeth said. She pushed Lily's hand away and rolled over. When she fell back asleep, her dreams were painless. When she woke up the next morning, she'd begun to think she was only imagining it.

Little did she know that these dreams would cause much pain and suffering in the future. Just not her future...

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun dunnnn! Give you guys a hint as to why she's not a Marauder in JKR's world? I hope so!**

**Chapters four and five will be revised, and that's all I'm going to fix. Enjoy!**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**


	4. First Day Failures

**A/N: Only one more chapter of revising, and that's it. Love you all for rereading this!**

**So, yeah, besides the minor changes, I'm also swapping the dialogue around a bit, since I reread this a few nights ago and realized Liz resembled something like a Mary Sue in the making, so of course I had to change it. Meh.**

**Also, for my followers- I'm sorry, but chapter seven of part two still won't be posted until the eighteenth. This revising stuff is just busy work, and is totally different from writing from scratch. On the bright side, I think I persuaded my English teacher to give us a writing assignment based off an already published work. I'm going to turn this whole story in and see what happens!**

**Disclaimer****: Yeah, right. I wish. I do have two guinea pigs though. They're furry, adorable, make cute noises and love to bite people who don't review, so like I said, REVIEW!**

* * *

Elizabeth woke the next morning, still a little freaked out about her dream. Though she couldn't really remember it, she knew it had been bad. She looked at her watch. 7:30. She still had some time before breakfast. She got dressed, deciding not to say anything about her dream to the guys, and left the paused as she passed the boys' staircase. Muffled shouting and hysterical laughter could be heard from upstairs. Shaking her head, she climbed up to the first years' dorm.

"I'll get you for this, Potter!" Sirius bellowed.

"You'll have to catch me first!" James shouted back. The door burst open and James raced out, fully dressed. Sirius, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants, was hot on his heels, his hair an interesting shade of magenta. Elizabeth snorted and knocked on the doorframe, her eyes on the ceiling. She had no desire to see Remus or Peter in their underwear.

"You can come in, it's safe," Remus said, a hint of amusement in his voice. Elizabeth lowered her eyes, examined their room, and scowled.

"How come you guys get red bed hangings?" she demanded.

Peter stared at her, still howling with laughter. "Sirius' hair is pink and that's all you can say?" he gasped.

"You would too if your _hangings_ were pink," she grumped.

Remus chuckled. "James stayed up late last night reading his Charms textbook. I didn't think much of it until now. I don't suppose you know the counterspell for a color- changing charm?" Elizabeth shook her head. He sighed and pulled his own textbook out of his trunk and began scanning the index.

Peter was still caught up in his laughter. Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I'm gonna go make sure James and Sirius haven't killed each other yet. Catch you guys later...?" Neither boy replied. Sighing, she closed the door and headed down to the common room. Boys! Who could understand them? Not her, that's for sure.

In the common room, Sirius had pinned James to the floor. "Change my hair back," he growled menacingly.

"Never!" James struggled to get up.

"Hey, boys," Elizabeth called. "I know you find me so irresistable that you're willing to fight to the death over me, but my heart belongs to someone else." Sirius and James, their scuffle momentarily forgotten, stared at her, openmouthed. She hid a grin. Just what she'd been hoping for.

"Who now?" Remus said, emerging from the dorm, a book under his arm. Peter was right behind him, his mouth open in a small O of surprise. Elizabeth turned red.

"I only said that to get them to stop fighting!" She knew her tone was defensive, but didn't care. She tried to hide her embarrassment. "Sirius, stop choking James. Remus can change your hair back."

Pulling his wand out, Remus pointed it at Sirius. "Finite Incantatem." Black seeped from the roots to the ends of Sirius' hair. He pulled a lock in front of his eyes to check.

"Thanks," he said to Remus. Turning back to James, he said, "Are you crazy? Why did you turn my hair PINK?"

"Magenta," Elizabeth corrected. Sirius glared at her. She smiled innocently.

"That'll teach you to push me into the lake. Now let me up," James demanded.

"You did kind of deserve it," Remus agreed, shrinking away as Sirius turned his death glare on him.

"Let me up," James repeated. "Do you want to make us late for breakfast? You still need to change into your uniform." Sirius glanced down and seemed to realize for the first time that he was only wearing his ragged sweatpants. His face flushed and he hurried back to the dorms.

Elizabeth held out her hand to James. He took it and she pulled him up. "Why did you turn his hair pink?" she asked.

"I told you, he pushed me into a _freezing cold lake_. And didn't you say it was magenta?" Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh, yeah, that's mature," James said sarcastically.

"I'm eleven. I don't have to be mature. Besides, I think Remus is mature enough for all five of us."

"Excuse me?" Remus said, amused. "I can be immature if I want to."

James snorted. "You don't think about being mature, you either are or aren't. And _I_ definately am not."

"And proud of it," Elizabeth added. She and James slapped a high five.

Footsteps pounded on the stairs and Sirius reemerged, fully dressed, his hair carefully combed. He caught sight of Elizabeth and stared at her, horror-struck. "What?" she said defensively.

"Your... your hair... what happened to it?" He pointed. Elizabeth felt the blood drain from her face.

"What happened? Did James turn my hair pink?" She glared at James, who shook his head, hands held out in surrender.

"No, it's just so... messy..." Sirius said. Elizabeth felt her head. Her short hair was sticking up in every direction, not unlike James'. That was what had Sirius so worried? Geez.

"Who cares if it's messy?" she asked.

"Well, you're a girl. Aren't girls supposed to be obsessed with hair and stuff like that?" Sirius asked.

"Um. No. I just usually leave it the way it is when I wake up. It's just too much of a bother. Anyway, it seems like the only person here who cares about hair so much is you," Elizabeth said scathingly. James and Peter exploded with laughter.

"Oh, ha ha. Go ahead and make fun of me just because I like to look good, why don't you." But Sirius was laughing too. "Why are we standing around wasting time? Let's go to breakfast. I'm starving. Last one down is a stinky gnome!" He bolted for the portrait hole, Elizabeth, James and Peter right behind him. Remus rolled his eyes and hurried after them.

Down in the Great Hall, Lily, Victoria and Sarah were chatting animatedly. When Lily saw them, she hurried over. "Hey, Elizabeth," she said. Her green eyes were full of worry. "How are you feeling?"

Elizabeth glowered. She hadn't wanted anyone else to know what happened!"Fine, thanks. D'you mind moving? We're hungry."

"Liz? Did something happen last night?" James peered intently at her.

"NO!" She stormed past Lily and sat down as far as possible from Sarah and Victoria. The boys followed. Elizabeth put some food on her plate, but the helpings were minuscule compared to the night before. She simply stared at the food, picking at it. Tears ran down her cheeks. Elizabeth had lost her appetite at Lily reminding her of her nightmare, which had come back full force. She didn't want her friends to die! Lily too, even though she didn't particularly like Lily. Even though it had been a dream, it had felt so real...

"Elizabeth?" Remus' voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up at them, noting their startled faces at the sight of her tears. "Elizabeth, please tell us what happened."

She pushed her plate away and dropped her head on the table with a thunk. "Go away," she moaned, her voice muffled.

"Liz, just tell us!" Sirius said impatiently.

"I don't want to talk about it. And don't call me Liz."

"I thought we were your friends," James added. "Or were you just hanging out with us because you were convinced Sirius and I were both madly in love with you?"

There was a pause, then Elizabeth's shoulders began to shake. The boys were rather startled, thinking at first that she'd started crying harder. Then she raised her head and they realized she was laughing. "Nah, I just thought you needed someone to keep you out of trouble, and Remus won't always be around to do that." Remus stiffened. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he muttered. "Let's eat. I'm famished." The rest of the school began to show up then, so they quickly claimed their seats and helped themselves to kippers and toast. Elizabeth noticed her friends shooting her worried looks and she grinned. Since her mouth was stuffed full of food, it gave her the look of a bushy haired chipmunk. "Do' 'orry, oo ays, 'us imar'."

Peter snorted into his pumpkin juice. "English, please."

Elizabeth swallowed and said, "Don't worry, you guys, it was just a nightmare."

"Some nightmare," James muttered darkly. Elizabeth grunted and made a noncommittal gesture. She didn't like all the fuss they were making over this. Curse Lily for pretending to care!

"Oh, look, the post is here," Peter said suddenly. The air was full of owls, circling the tables, searching for their owners. Athena swooped down to perch on Elizabeth's shoulder.

A large screech owl dropped a scarlet envelope in front of Sirius. They all stared at it, recognizing a Howler, but couldn't imagine why Sirius would be getting one.

"Uh, Sirius...?" Elizabeth said nervously. The envelope had begun to smoke.

Sirius grimaced. "They must send owls to parents letting them know what House their children are in. Let's just hope that dear old mum doesn't shriek for too long. I swear that she's part banshee."

"Why would-" Peter began, but was cut off as Walburga Black's voice began to echo throughout the Great Hall.

"SIRIUS ORION BLACK! NEVER, NOT IN A HUNDRED YEARS, WOULD I HAVE BELIEVED YOU WOULD BE IN GRYFFINDOR! THE HOUSE OF MUDBLOODS, BLOOD TRAITORS AND THE SHAMES OF THE WIZARDING WORLD! DON'T BOTHER COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS! WHEN YOU GET HOME, YOU WILL BE PUNISHED! YOUR BROTHER WOULD NEVER HAVE BETRAYED US LIKE THIS! YOU HAVE BROUGHT SHAME UPON OUR FAMILY! I HOPE YOU'RE PROUD!"

The Howler disintegrated into a handful of ashes. The entire Hall was staring at Sirius, who looked quite pale. After a moment, he composed himself and grinned at his friends. "Don't look so freaked out, guys. Since you didn't ask me, then yes, I am proud. C'mon, if you think this is bad..." he let out a barklike laugh. "Well, let's just say you don't want to see her when she's really mad. A Howler is tame for her. Pumpkin juice, Remus?" he added, pushing the jug over to his friend.

Remus seemed to come out of a trance. "No, thank you. I'm full." Elizabeth looked at his untouched plate. "Lovely breakfast, wasn't it? Oh, hello, Professor McGonagall!"

The woman in question was walking down the Gryffindor table, handing out parchments. When she reached them, she looked at Sirius. "That was your mother, Mr. Black?"

Sirius' ears reddened. "Yes," he muttered.

McGonagall shook her head. "There is no shame in being different from your family, Mr. Black. To be honest, anyone who has an attitude like _that_ should be ashamed." Sirius grinned at her. "Here are your schedules. Mr. Lupin, I need you to come with me."

Remus nodded and stood up. "I'll see you guys later, then."

"What d'you reckon she wants with him?" Elizabeth mused as Remus left the Great Hall with Professor McGonagall.

"Dunno. Schedule mess up?" James suggested. He frowned. "No, that couldn't be right- first years all have the same schedule as their Housemates. And I have his schedule right here. It looks fine to me. But it's not really our business, is it? Ooh, look! Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws first thing today! Let's go!"

"Shouldn't we wait for Remus?" Peter asked. "I don't want him to have to find his way on his own- it's not like he has a map or anything..."

"Ah, he'll be fine," Sirius said airily. "He's with McGonagall. Coming, Liz?"

"Yes, and _don't_ call me that. It's demeaning." Elizabeth threw Athena into the air and the owl flew away to join her brethren in the owlry.

"Call you what?" Sirius asked, an innocent expression on his face.

"You know perfectly well, _what_," she growled.

"Liz? Why shouldn't we call you that? Elizabeth's a mouthful." James nodded in agreement to Sirius' words. "Anyway, you are officially stuck with it now. You'll always be Liz to us. So there!" He smirked triumphantly.

Elizabeth pulled out her wand. "Don't make me hex you, _Siri_." Her tone was deadly quiet. Peter gulped.

Sirius' smirk grew more pronounced. "I'd like to see you try."

"Locomorter Mortis!" Elizabeth snapped, pointing her wand at his legs. James and Peter looked at him. He didn't seem any different.

"Oh, wow, that was terrifying," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "Let's go, I don't want to be late for class our first day." He tried to take a step forward.

He fell on his face instead.

"MISS AUBEREY!" McGonagall had returned with Remus.

"Busted," James muttered.

* * *

Professor McGonagall took Remus to the room where the first years had waited to be sorted. When she had shut the door firmly behind her and checked the ceiling, for some reason, she said, "Now, Mr. Lupin, Professor Dumbledore has told you that as long as we take certain precautions on the nights of the full moon, there is no reason why you should not come to school. We have acquired an old house near Hogsmeade and have enchanted it so that you cannot get out. The Whomping Willow Professor Dumbledore mentioned last night was planted over the entrance to a tunnel that leads to the house- that should prevent people from getting in... or out. Now, next Thursday, you will go to the Hospital Wing an hour before moonrise, unless you are feeling too ill to wait. Madam Pomferey, the nurse, will tell you what to do then." Professor McGonagall then tod Remus, in great detail, how to get to the Hospital Wing. "Is that clear?" she asked once she'd finished.

"Yes, Professor." Although Remus could tell that this woman didn't play favorites, he liked her already. There was a brusque sort of manner on the outside, but if you took the time to peer beneath the surface, you saw a woman who cared for everyone. That, coupled with the fact that she treated him like a normal kid, only served to make him like her more.

They went back to the Great Hall just in time to see Elizabeth hex Sirius, who fell flat on his face.

"MISS AUBEREY!" Professor McGonagall cried. James turned to Elizabeth and muttered something. She scowled and put her wand away. "What were you _thinking_? Magic is not to be performed in the corridors or the Great Hall for this very reason! Ten points from Gryffindor, and I hope you're proud of yourself! I've never had a student lose points this early in the year!"

Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at the Professor's retreating back. Remus fought back a grin as he helped Sirius up.

"What was that all about?" he asked, undoing the spell on Sirius. "Everyone's hexing you today, it seems."

"My dear Lizzie here just took offense at her new nickname," Sirius said, dusting himself off. Remus bit his lip at that. _Dear Lizzie? Since when was she Sirius' dear?_

"...Er, alright," he said awkwardly. What did it matter if Sirius was giving Elizabeth nicknames? He took his schedule from James. "Oh, yes, Transfiguration first thing. Shall we go?"

As they hurried up the stairs, James said, "So what did McGonagall want, anyway?"

Remus stumbled. He hadn't been expecting a question like that, though in retrospect, it should have been obvious. Peter had to grab him by the neck of the robes to keep him from falling down the stairs. Once he'd regained his feet, Remus said, "Er, it was... about my schedule. It got messed up. So they had to fix it. Because it was... messed up..."

"Wow. Messed up? So badly that McGonagall needed to talk to you in private about it? Seriously, Remus, if you're going to lie to us, at least put a little effort into it. This is just embarrassing. I saw your schedule, and it's exactly the same as ours," James said obstinately. Sirius, Peter and Elizabeth nodded agreement, looking at him curiously.

Elizabeth elbowed James and gave him an _I told you so_ look. Remus didn't like this. It was only the first day of term and they already knew something was wrong. How could he have been so stupid, thinking that he could pass for normal?

"I have to go," Remus blurted out, rushing past his friends. He could feel their eyes on him as he whipped around a corner and out of sight. He didn't stop until he reached McGonagall's classroom, found with the help of an older student, where he claimed a seat in the back corner and piled his books in front of him so he wouldn't have to look at his so- called 'friends'.

* * *

"Somebody really needs to make a map of this place," Peter said as they wandered about on the fourth floor.

"Let me know when that happens," James said gloomily. They were lost. They knew that Transfiguration was on the fourth floor, but they had no idea where it was. He still felt bad about making Remus upset, but he was curious.

"Less whining and more walking. We'll never get there at this rate," Sirius said.

"Assuming we can find 'there'," Liz said. She was still protesting the name, but she was stuck with it now. "I'll bet Remus is already there, was there a long time ago." she shot James a meaningful look. He shrugged. It wasn't as though he could do anything about that now.

"What? I only wanted to know why he was lying to us," he said, kicking a new, clean trainer against the wall. It left a skid mark.

"Well, you believe me now, don't you?" She folded her arms with an air of maddening superiority.

"Yeah, yeah, I believe you, we all do," Sirius said.

"Why do you think he'd lie to us?" Peter asked. "Unless it was something he'd just rather not talk about? Maybe he has a really embarrassing disease. Like, chronic farts or something."

"I don't think that's it, Pete," Sirius said. "But you might be right about the disease thing. The bloke looks like he hasn't had a proper meal once in his entire life. And I didn't hear him farting in the dorms last night, did you?" It took a few seconds for the sentence to sink in, but once it had, all four children were doubled over, wheezing with laughter. They were still laughing when, to their immense relief, they spotted Lily, Sarah and Victoria walking into a classroom at the end of the corridor.

"Guys,"James said as they reached the door, "Let's not say anything to Remus about this, alright? If we do, he'll just clam up and refuse to say anything. We have to be careful about this. Are we clear?"

"Yup."

"Yeah."

"Yes, _mother_." James rolled his eyes at Sirius. They went inside. They immediately spotted Remus hiding in the corner, a wall of books stacked in front of him as an obvious barrier. They looked at one another.

"Liz, you go sit next to him," Sirius said, pushing her forward.

"Why me?" Liz was so startled, she didn't even protest the name.

"Because he knows you best. Now _go_," James ordered, pushing her farther into the room. He didn't mention that the real reason he chose her was because he had a sneaking suspicion that Remus liked Liz.

She walked over to him.

* * *

"Hey, Remus," Elizabeth said in a voice that sounded way too cheery to her. She plunked her bag on the table. Remus didn't look up. She moved his stack of books to the floor. That got his attention.

"Hey!" he protested, lunging for the books. Elizabeth grabbed his wrists before he could reach them. "Let go!" He squirmed, trying to break free.

"Look at me!" Elizabeth commanded. Beautiful blue eyes looked into hazel as Remus stopped fighting. Elizabeth was momentarily distracted by his eyes- _Merlin, they were blue- _but forced herself to speak. "Listen, Remus, I don't know what McGonagall wanted, but if you don't want us to know, we won't bother you anymore."

Remus eyed her suspiciously. "Swear it?"

"Even better- I'll solemnly swear it." She held her pinkie finger out. Remus looked at it, bemused. Obviously, this was just a muggle thing. "It's a pinkie promise. You're supposed to lock pinkies and say an oath." Remus held out his own little finger and they interlocked them. "I, Elizabeth Grace Auberey, do solemnly swear on my behalf and the behalf of my friends, that-"

"Since when do you speak like that?" Remus asked.

Elizabeth blushed. "I- I read. A lot. So I know a _plethora_-" she stressed the last word, she was very proud of knowing it- "of big words." He raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to let me finish?" Remus nodded. "I, Elizabeth Grace Auberey, solemnly swear on my behalf and the behalf of my friends, that we will not bother you about your issues."

"Oh, so now I have issues?" Remus grinned at her. She grinned back. "And I, Remus John Lupin, do solemnly swear not to run away from my friends and leave them wandering about the castle." They laughed, and for a moment, to Elizabeth, all felt right in the world. But it was a fleeting moment as her happiness turned to guilt. All she'd promised was to not go asking Remus what he was doing- not that she and the other guys would stop trying to figure him out. A sense of dread crept over her as she wondered if she had just promised their budding friendship away.

The bell rang as they broke apart and Professor McGonagall turned away from the blackboard, where she'd been writing. After taking role call, giving them a lecture on safety and changing her desk into a pig and back, they had to take a load of complicated notes from the board. Then, Professor McGonagall passed out a box of matches and they were to try turning them into needles.

McGonagall seemed impressed when James got it on his first try, and Sirius on his fifth. By the end of the class, the only other one able to make any difference to match was Remus. His wasn't a needle, but at least it was silver now. Elizabeth hadn't managed to change hers at all, though felt slightly cheered at the thought that it could have gone worse. _She_ hadn't set her match on fire, though Peter had somehow managed to do just that. Sirius found this rather amusing.

"It's pronounced with an 'un', not an 'oon', Pete, honestly..."

Their next class was double Potions with the Slytherins. Their teacher, Horace Slughorn, was a fat man with thinning ginger hair who waddled instead of walked. He seemed all right until role call, when he came to Remus' name. He stuttered for a bit, then said, "Erm, yes, Mr. Lupin, ah, if you would be so kind as to move to the back..."

"Why?" Elizabeth said loudly. Remus looked like he wanted to sink through the floor.

Slughorn seemed caught off- guard by Elizabeth's outburst. "Because, Miss Auberey, I want him to."

"You didn't tell any of us to move," Sirius spoke up.

"Well, no, but-"

"Why should he be any different from the rest of us?" James demanded. "If you were going to assign seats, I'd think you'd do it for more than just one person." Peter nodded fervently, though looked as though he'd much rather not be doing anything at all. Elizabeth quivered in indignation. Who did Slughorn think he was to push Remus around like this?

* * *

As his friends were arguing with their teacher, Remus was quietly gathering his belongings, praying that they would just let it go. He didn't want to bring any more attention to himself. He sighed. It wasn't like this was unexpected, but it still hurt. When he'd been accepted to Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore had warned him that Professors Slughorn and Dranseau might not take too kindly to having a werewolf in their classes.

"Well, if you're going to move him, you're going to move us too," James declared. Remus flushed at the thought of his friends' willingness to lose points for him. It was all an illusion, though- if they found out why Slughorn was moving him, well... nobody would want to even be in the same room as him. It was a depressing thought.

Slughorn's voice broke into his thoughts. "Very well, then, but if you five cause any trouble, I won't hesitate to split you up!" He waggled a finger at James, rather like an old uncle, but he carefully avoided eye contact with Remus.

The five children gathered their stuff and moved back to the farthest table with him. James, Sirius and Peter were grouped together, and Remus found himself sitting next to Elizabeth for two classes in a row. He grinned at her. She grinned back, but cast a furtive glance over at the other three. They were trying to be quiet, but Remus and Elizabeth could hear every word.

"What was that-" Peter began, but someone, probably James, kicked the smaller boy under the table. He yelped.

"We promised, remember?" James muttered. He looked back and saw Remus watching them, and quickly looked away.

They started the class with a simple potion to cure boils. Slughorn waddled around the class giving advice, punctuated with long anecdotes of his former, now famous, students. Remus was reminded of an antique collector, the way their teacher spoke. He collected students like a black shirt collects dandruff.

Once their potions were finished, they had to fill a flagon and bring it to the teacher's desk to be marked. James', Sirius' and Peter's was decent, probably because Peter mostly just sat around and watched. Remus' and Elizabeth's was only just passable, probably because Elizabeth took over when Remus had nearly added the porcupine quills too early. Severus smirked at Remus as they went up to Slughorn's desk, the greasy boy clutching his own beautifully made potion. Lily, his partner, however, smiled at Remus sympathetically. Remus smiled back.

Lunch followed potions. Their next two classes were Charms with tiny old Professor Flitwick, and Herbology with a young, friendly witch named Professor Sprout. Then, to their relief, they were done for the day. As they were doing their homework in the empty common room, waiting for dinner, James sat up.

"I've been thinking-" he started.

"Did it hurt?" Elizabeth asked, raising an eyebrow. Peter snorted. Sirius gave her a high five, and Remus smiled to himself. His stomach lurched when he looked at her, but didn't think much of it. The full moon was next week. He usually felt odd the week before, nothing unusual.

"No," James said, choosing to ignore her comment. "Anyway, I've been thinking that we need to do something to Snivellus."

"Why?" Remus asked apprehensively, putting his quill down.

"Didn't you see the way he smirked at you? He's so full of himself. The slimy little git needs to be taught a lesson. And I have just the thing." He darted upstairs, knocking his ink bottle over onto his essay about carnivorous trees.

"Scourgify," Remus said, pointing his wand at the ink. It vanished. Elizabeth sighed.

"I wish I could do that," she muttered. She'd had a rather hard time with the spell in Charms and seemed upset that the others had mastered it before her.

"Why do I suddenly have a very bad feeling?" Peter wondered aloud, looking after James.

James reappeared then, holding a silvery cloak in one hand and a small tin of something in the other. "Powdered Billywig stingers! They're not lethal, but you'll get a _very_ nasty rash that's nearly impossible to get rid of. Just think of what could happen if, through some unthinkable means, this stuff were to make its way into Snivellus' bedsheets..."

Sirius, Peter and Elizabeth burst out laughing. Remus was uncertain. "Are you sure? I mean, we'll be running into mean people our whole lives and won't be able to do anything-"

"Ah, but we _can_ do something to Snivellus!" Sirius chuckled. "Stop worrying, Remus, it's not like we're going to make him eat it."

"Well..."

"So we're going to be extra- careful. This is a prank, not an assassination. We should make that one of our rules- no permanent or severe physical injuries." James said.

"No doing the same prank twice," Elizabeth said. "Or else it'll get boring."

"Never on the Gryffindors," Sirius added. "Unless it's a schoolwide prank." They grinned.

"And why would we be doing a schoolwide prank?" Remus asked.

"Do you really think we'll stop at one? Come on, Remus, I thought you knew me better than that!" James pouted and pretended to look hurt.

Remus sighed at the theatrics. "I only met you yesterday."

"Still..."

"We should have a name," James said. "Wouldn't that be cool?"

"Um..."

"Er..."

"Hmm..."

"I don't know yet," Elizabeth said. "We should definitely think about it, though."

"So how are we getting into the Slytherin common room?" Sirius asked.

"With this!" James pulled the cloak off his arm with a flourish.

"Um. It's a cloak, doofus," Elizabeth said. Although the cloak was an interesting silver color, and was much larger than average, it would still be ridiculously easy to spot a giant silver blob making its way down the corridor.

"It's not just a cloak. This baby has been passed down through my family for generations. Observe!" James threw the cloak over his head- and disappeared. Remus froze. The other three yelled in shock.

"That's an invisibility cloak!" Sirius said, dumbstruck. "I want one."

"That is SO cool!" Elizabeth yelled. James' head reappeared. He was grinning.

Pulling the cloak the rest of the way off, he said, "Since Liz, Remus and I are pretty small, we should be able to fit under here without any trouble. C'mon, let's go up to the dormitory- I don't fancy having anyone walking in in us here." They gathered their homework, Remus a little reluctant, and trooped upstairs.

In the boys' dorm, they huddled together and James threw the cloak over them. They shuffled around to look in the full- length mirror near the door.

"See any feet?" Elizabeth asked.

"No."

"Nope."

"Nuh- uh."

"All clear."

They pulled it off again and flopped on their beds. Elizabeth almost sat next to Sirius, then changed her mind and sat with Remus instead. He felt rediculously pleased with this.

"I know it might not seem like a very big prank right now, but if it goes wrong, we'll be facing a very angry Slytherin House. I don't know about you, but I want to live to get my apparation license. We'll have to plan this carefully." James pulled out a piece of parchment and a battered quill. "Here's what we'll have to do..."

* * *

**A/N: Wow, this was a long chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it! I made Slughorn act like he did because I got the feeling from HBP that he would. Remember when he told Harry it was shocking that a muggleborn (Lily) was so good at potions? I figured he'd be a werewolf hater as well, but trust me, he's nothing compared to Dranseau!**

**Looking forward to it? Review! If not, review and tell me why! *Jedi hand wave* That is the review button you are looking for...**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**


	5. Kitchens and 'Kisses'

**A/N: ****WARNING: This chapter contains some light sort-of fluffiness.**

**Disclaimer****: I don't own HP. I wish I owned a house- elf, but am forced to clean my room myself. Hey! I know what I want for Christmas now! Dear Santa...**

* * *

"This is ridiculous."

"You're telling me."

"We've been tailing Slytherins for two days now and still haven't found their common room yet!" Elizabeth sighed in frustration and turned to Remus. "Why are we on stakeout duty again?" He raised an eyebrow. Elizabeth had learned over the past three days that it was his favorite expression.

"Because," he said patiently, "We're the only ones not busy with homework."

"Oh, bother their homework. I'm bored and my feet are sore."

It was just after dinner. Elizabeth and Remus were under the invisibility cloak, which James had brought to dinner. They were lurking just outside the entrance to the dungeons, waiting for a Slytherin they could follow to the common room. James, Sirius and Peter were stuck in their own common room frantically trying to finish a two- foot essay on the Werewolf Code of Conduct their ancient History of Magic teacher, Professor Binns, had assigned on Tuesday. It was due tomorrow, which was Thursday. Remus had written his essay in just under an hour, and when he'd left to go to the loo, Elizabeth had stolen it to look over. Not to copy- she had just needed two more facts for her own essay and the textbook wasn't providing any more information than she already had. It was lucky that none of the boys had seen her, or she'd be dead in two seconds flat.

"Shh," Remus said as a student came into view. It was a sixth year prefect, Lucius Malfoy. His silver-blond hair shone like a beacon in the torchlight as he descended into the depths of the castle. Remus and Elizabeth followed. They walked for several minutes before they came to... a dead end? "Parselmouth," Malfoy said, and the wall silently opened. Remus and Elizabeth exchanged excited looks.

"Brilliant! Now we can get in whenever we want!" Elizabeth whispered triumphantly.

"As long as we have the password," Remus hissed back.

"Yeah, but still... Er, you _do_ know the way out?"

"Of course, don't worry." But Remus was soon proven wrong. They ended up somewhere in the basement, surrounded by pictures of fruit. They stopped. "Where are we?" Remus muttered. The torchlight made the circles under his eyes look even darker.

"What happened to 'don't worry'?" Elizabeth teased.

"Shut up!" he snapped. Elizabeth was shocked. Remus _never_ told anyone to shut up unless it was in a jokin manner, and he'd never snapped at anybody before.

"Remus, is everything alright?" she asked hesitantly.

He rubbed his temples, looking ten years older than he really was. "I- I'm fine. It's just-" Elizabeth clapped a hand over his mouth and pulled him against the wall, or, rather, against a painting.. Footsteps were quickly approaching, slapping against the stone floor. Professor Dranseau was hurrying along the corridor. They watched with bated breath as his robes whipped around the corner. When the sound of his long stride was no longer audible, they allowed themselves to relax. As they slid past the painting, Remus brushed past the pear.

It giggled.

They froze again. "What in the name of Merlin...?" Elizabeth breathed. She checked to make sure they were alone, stuck her hand out from under the cloak ("Elizabeth!") and brushed her fingers over the pear. It began to giggle again, and Elizabeth tickled the pear until it suddenly morphed into a giant green door handle. She and Remus glanced at eachother and nodded. She pulled the portrait open.

Inside the huge room were five tables, set up in the same positions as the four house tables and the head tables. Scurrying about the chamber were hundreds of house- elves wearing tea towel togas stamped with the Hogwarts crest. Some of them froze when the portrait opened, but hurried over to close it when nobody appeared.

Ignoring Remus' hissed warning, Elizabeth ducked out from under the cloak, much to the house- elves' shock.

One of them hurried over to Elizabeth. "Much apologies, Miss, Ikki was not realizing you was there." Her big ears drooped, then perked back up again. "Is there any food you is wanting, Miss?"

Elizabeth thought about it. Although she'd just eaten dinner, she was hungry again, and she knew that if she was hungry, the guys had to be starving.

"Er, yes please." She pulled the cloak off Remus with an indignant "Hey!" that she ignored. "Enough food to feed five, please, as much as the two of us can carry. And call me Elizabeth." She'd decided they were going to celebrate finding the common room and kitchens with a feast.

Several house- elves darted off, and not much longer, they returned carrying two large wicker baskets that were emitting mouthwatering smells.

"Just leave the baskets in your dormitories, Miss Elizabeth and young Master. Ikki will gets them while she's cleaning."

"My name's Remus. Not young Master, okay?" Remus said.

"Very well, young Master Remus." Remus opened his mouth to say something, but Elizabeth stomped on his foot. Ikki continued, not noticing anything. "We hopes you enjoys the food!" The house- elves all waved and bowed the children out.

The baskets were staggeringly heavy. After they'd gotten the cloak over themselves and we're out in the corridor, Remus pulled out his wand, pointed it at the basket, and whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa." He slowly let to and the basket hung, suspended in midair.

"Where'd you learn that?" Elizabeth whispered, pulling out her own wand.

"I've been reading ahead in our Charms textbook. There's actually some pretty useful stuff in there."

"I can see that." She focused on the basket and waved her wand like Remus had. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Nothing happened. She tried again. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Instantly, the basket became much lighter. She let go and it hung in the air, waiting for her to push it along.

"Nice one," Remus said as they hurried out of the basement. Apparently, he'd recognized where they were.

"Thanks." Elizabeth grinned at him and he grinned back. She felt a funny jump in her stomach that har nothing to do with hunger. Before she could really think about it, though, they heard a mewing noise.

"Oh, no," Remis moaned as Filch's scrawny cat, Mrs. Norris II emerged from behind a suit of armor. She began sniffing in their direction, her bulging eyes fixed on them.

"D'you reckon cats can see through cloaks?" Elizabeth muttered as they backed away.

"Dunno, but I don't want to stick around to find out- Filch'll be coming soon," he muttered back. A wicked gleam came to Elizabeth's eye that immediately made Remus nervous.

"Locomorter Mortis!" Elizabeth whispered. The curse hit the scrawny cat, locking its legs together. The cat fell over just like Sirius had, it's eyes fixed on them, still mewing. "Run!" Elizabeth cried. She and Remus darted around the immobilized creature and printed back to the common room. Remus handed his basket to Elizabeth and ducked out from under the cloak as they reached the portrait hole.

"Hexproof," he panted. The Fat Lady stared at him disapprovingly, but swung forward. Remus and the invisible Elizabeth clambered in- right behind him.

"Boo," Elizabeth whispered behind him. Remus yelled and several fourth years by the fire snickered at him.

"That was not funny," Remus grumbled as he headed up the stairs. Elizabeth followed. "Hey, guys," he called, pushing the door open. James, Sirius and Peter were lounging on their beds, surrounded by scrap pieces of parchment, but they quickly sat up at the sight of Remus.

"Where's Liz?" Sirius looked around.

"I'm here. And don't call me Liz." ElizBeth let the cloak slide off her shoulders but kept her hands covered, hiding the baskets. "Guess what we got?"

"Food?" Peter asked hopefully, sniffing the air.

"Don't be thick, dinner was hours ag-g-g-" James stuttered to a halt as Elizabeth shook the cloak off, revealing their prizes. She was rewarded with the widening of her friends' eyes and their mouths falling open into looks of comical surprise.

"Liz, you're the BEST!" Sirius cried, lunging for the baskets.

"Down, boy," she commanded, laughing. "Don't thank me, though- thank Remus, too," she added as the small boy caused the baskets' weight to return to normal. Elizabeth almost dropped them on the floor.

The five friends tore into the food. They had a wonderful feast of crisp fried chicken, thick and creamy mashed potatoes, and hot, buttery rolls, with ice cold pumpkin juice to wash it all down. For dessert, there was a heavenly apple pie, all cinnamon and sugar and love, which they divided into fifths. Ikki had thoughtfully provided plates and silverware.

"That-" Sirius said, leaning back and patting his bulging stomach, "-was delicious."

"So how _did _you get all this food? And did you get the password to the Slytherin common room?" James asked. He let out a soft belch.

Remus and Elizabeth told them about their finding the common room, getting lost, discovering the kitchens and evading Mrs. NorrisII. When they were done, Sirius frowned.

"How did you find the pear, though?"

"I told you, Remus brushed past it." Elizabeth rolled her eyes. How hard could it be for him to listen for once?

"I mean, what was he doing so close to the wall?" Sirius' tone was too innocent for Elizabeth's liking and she hesitated, sensing a trap.

"Cone again?" she said suspiciously. "Professor Dranseau was coming, so I pushed Remus against the wall-"

"HA!" Sirius yelled, making them all jump. He batted his eyelashes at her. "And then you two started SNOGGING!"

"WHAT!" Elizabeth and Remus yelled.

Elizabeth's face was burning. "We're ELEVEN, Sirius, E-LEV-EN! I wouldn't- I- we- oh, for Merlin's sake, I don't have to listen to this! Good NIGHT!"

"Oh, so you didn't enjoy it? That's a shame. I-" Sirius was cut off as Remus, red in the face, launched himself at his friend. James and Peter began yelling, egging the boys on.

"Bye, Liz!" Peter called as she slammed the door behind her. She stormed to the girls' dorm, startling Lily, Victoria, and Sarah, who were discussing some new band called the Weird Sisters.

"Liz?" Lily said, seeing the girl's flushed face and noting her body language. "What happened? Was it Potter?"

"No," Elizabeth said shortly, wrenching open her trunk. "Why do you call him that, Lily?"

"He's a prat, Liz, he's always teasing Sev, him and Black."

"Those are my friends you're talking about," Elizabeth said cooly. "And don't call me Liz."

"It's a free country," Lily retorted. "Now, c'mon, what happened? Was it Po- I mean, James, or was it B- Sirius?"

Perhaps it was the fact that Lily had used her friends' first names, but Elizabeth softened.

"Yeah, it was Sirius. He was just... being a git." She noticed Victoria and Sarah had become oddly quiet.

"Look. I've only known you for four days, and you've only known those boys for that long, but it's obvious you're very close. So it must have been something bad to get you in such a mood," Lily said gently.

Before Elizabeth could stop herself, the words came shooting out of her stupid mouth. "He accused me of snogging Remus!" she cried. She wanted to kill herself as Victoria and Sarah squealed in excitement.

"Did you?" Sarah asked eagerly, leaning forward, blue eyes wide.

"NO!" Elizabeth bellowed. The blond girl shrank back. "Why does EVERYONE keep asking me that? We're eleven, people! Geez!" She yanked her pajamas out of her trunk. "Good. Night." She wrenched the hangings shut around her bed and got undressed.

As Elizabeth snuggled under the covers, she wished she could block out her roommates' conversation. They were speaking quietly, but not quietly enough for her to keep from overhearing. "I don't understand what her problem is. I mean, I've kissed boys before," Victoria was saying.

"Yeah, but that's you," Sarah said. "Most people I know wait until they're like, twelve or thirteen at least. I'd probably want to wait until I'm older. What I don't get, though, is why she finds the whole idea so outrageous. They've only known eachother for a few days, but it's obvious Remus likes her. Have you seen the way he looks at her?"

Elizabeth scowled. Sarah was mistaken! Her scowl deepened as Victoria spoke. "Well, if Lizzie doesn't like him back, _I_ wouldn't mind going out with him." Elizabeth could almost picture Victoria's stupid smirk.

"Yeah, but like Liz said, we're only eleven," Lily's voice interrupted.

"Well, I'm twelve. Besides, it's never stopped _me_ before." The girls burst into laughter and Elizabeth turned over, fuming.

So what if Victoria liked Remus? She couldn't care less, not her! So why did she feel...jealous? Did she like Remus? She didn't even know herself. They'd only known each other for a few days, so why did everyone seem to think she liked him?

* * *

"Take it back!"

"Make me!"

"I mean it, Sirius!"

"Never! Admit it, you like her!" James and Peter watched with great interest as Remus and Sirius wrestled on the floor.

Peter glanced at James. "D'you think we should help?"

James thought about it. "Nah, let's just enjoy the show. Besides, maybe now Sirius will be too tired to snore tonight."

Peter grinned. "Good point." James thought to himself that if this was hiw Sirius would act if he found out he really liked Lily and wasn't just joking about it, well... James had to admit to himself that if he killed Sirius he'd get lonely, but it would be a small price to pay.

Sirius had managed to pin Remus to the floor. He leaned over him. "Admit that you like her or you're spending the night on the floor."

"So would you," Remus gasped.

Sirius thought about it. "Good point." He began to tickle Remus.

"No! No, please-" Remus cried, writing like a worm on a hook as Sirius tickled him mercilessly.

"A little help here?" Sirius said, glancing back at his friends. They looked at one another and jumped in.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" Remus choked. They sat back and waited.

"Say it," Peter said.

Remus glared at them. "Fine," he snapped. "I like her."

"Her who?" James said innocently. "You've gotta be thorough, mate." Sirius and Peter nodded.

"Fine! I like Elizabeth Auberey. There! I said it! Now leave me alone!" Remus stood and stalked over to his trunk.

"Aw, c'mon, we were just messing with you," Sirius said. He put his hand on Remus' shoulder but the smaller boy slapped it away. They stared. First the wrestling match, now this? And hadn't Elizabeth said he'd snapped at her earlier? Remus was _never_ violent. They'd seen that in the short amount of time they'd known one another. He was always telling them to leave Snivellus alone. And they seriously doubted the mood swing was because of their teasing.

"Is something wrong?" James asked.

"No. Go away."

"Seriously, Remus, you've been acting weird all day. All moody and stuff. What's going on?"

"Leave me ALONE!" Remus screamed. They all took a step back. Peter tripped over his trunk. Remus climbed onto his bed and pulled the curtains shut to change- be was very particular about that, James had noticed. They looked at one another.

"I was only joking..." Sirius murmured, looking at his feet.

"Just forget about it, mate. Just don't bring it up again." James slapped Sirius' back and began getting ready for bed.

* * *

Remus sighed as he got changed. He wasn't even sure himself if he liked Elizabeth. She liked reading and joking around. She had been nice to him in Diagon Alley, even though he hadn't said much then- he was just surprised anyone his age wanted to talk to him. She was a quick thinker, and though she wasn't the best in all their lessons, she worked hard and was smart in her own way. She'd proven to be brilliant at hexes, jinxes and curses even though they had yet to attend a Defense class.

Elizabeth would be disgusted if she found out the truth, though. He looked down at his bare chest with a mixture of anger and self- pity. Although some of the scars that knotted his skin were from the attack in which he'd been bitten, most of them had been made by his own teeth and claws. And this time next week, how many more would cover him?

* * *

**A/N: So that's the end of my revising. Hope you all enjoyed it.**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**


	6. Worst Day Ever

**A/N: I LIED! I revised only the line breaks and two words of Liz's letter, but I still changed some stuff. That's it.**

**Not that anyone cares, but Dranseau is pronounced Dranshaw. Just so y'all know. I borrowed from two different fanfics to get my personality for him- one is from Hearts of Red and Gold by moonyschick25 (It's really good, so check it out sometime) and another- well, I don't remember the name/author, but the OC's name is Professor Nackle. Thank you to both of those wonderful authors, and I'm sorry to the unnamed one. If anyone knows what their name is, please let me know in a review so I can acknowledge them next chapter (hopefully). Poor Remus- I abuse him so much! And Elizabeth! Don't get me started on her!**

**This chapter has some more pseudo fluff, though I did tone it down a bit. Oh, and near death experiences. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: If I was getting paid to write this, that would be great, but no. J.K. Rowling, you rock!**

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, Elizabeth and Remus tried to pretend nothing happened. The other boys thought it would be best not to comment as they hurriedly spooned porridge into their mouths.

"What do we have first today?" Elizabeth asked. It was now Friday, the end of their first week at school. She was looking forward to having a break.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Remus replied, making an obvious effort not to look at her.

"Oh, goody," Sirius said. "Now we can let Liz hex me with a teacher's permission and instruction!"

James and Peter snorted. Elizabeth scowled. "Don't. Call. Me. Liz!" she growled menacingly.

"Whatever you want, Lizzie!" Sirius ducked as she aimed a swipe at him.

"Look, Liz, this is getting old. We're calling you Liz wether you like it or not. So you can either suck it up or we're gonna call you Lizard- Breath for all eternity," James snapped.

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "That is so below the belt," she muttered, stabbing her spoon into her breakfast. She sent a glare at Remus. That particular nickname was his fault!

"So what will it be? Liz or Lizard- Breath?" James asked.

"FINE!" Liz threw her hands in the air. "You can call me Liz. Happy now?"

"Very." James went back to his porridge.

"Mail's here," Peter said, pushing his bowl away. Athena landed in front of Liz, an envelope clamped in her beak.

_Elizabeth,_

_How has school been? Are you doing well in your classes? Have you made any new friends? Congratulations on being in Gryffindor. I'm so happy for you!_

_Christopher has been asking when you'll be back already. He'll never admit it, but I know he misses you. He said to tell you hi._

_Your father and I send our love._

_Stay out of trouble!_

_Love, mum_

Liz felt a pang of guilt as she read the last line. Her parents would be so disappointed with her if she blatantly disregarded their wishes. Then she reminded herself that as long as they weren't caught, they would be fine. She borrowed James' quill and scribbled a reply.

_Mum, Dad and Chris,_

_Athena just brought me your letter. School's going fine- we haven't had a Defense Against the Dark Arts class yet, but our first one is first thing this morning. I'm really looking forward to it. Potions and Transfiguration are alright, I guess, and Charms is... well, I'm passing at least. That's something._

_Professor Slughorn, our Potions teacher, doesn't seem to like my friend Remus much. He moved him to the back of the room, along with me and my other friends when we protested, on the very first day! Remus didn't even do anything! Professor Slughorn was taking role, and when he got to Remus' name, he made him move! It was so unfair!_

_I've made some great friends. There's Remus Lupin, who I just told you about, and Peter Pettigrew, James Potter, and Sirius. They're all awesome. Peter is really nice, and James and Sirius are funny. They goof off in most of our classes but they still somehow manage to get top marks in everything! Remus is kinda quiet, but he has a great sense of humor and loves to read. We're all going to be best friends for ever!_

_Lots of love,_

_Liz (that's my new nickname. I hate it. Just don't ask.)_

Liz gave her letter to Athena after feeding the owl a bit of toast and watched her fly out the window.

"Why didn't you put my last name in there?" Sirius' voice said in her ear. Liz jumped, upsetting her goblet of pumpkin juice. Sirius had been reading over her shoulder.

"Sirius!" she yelped. Several heads turned in their direction. Liz lowered her voice. "Why- exactly- were you reading my letter?"

"Dunno, I was bored. Why didn't you tell your mum my last name?" James, Remus and Peter looked around.

"Because- well- mum told me to stay away from you at Hogwarts!" Liz clapped her hands over her mouth, instantly regretting her words. She stood, Sirius' hurt face imprinting itself in her memory, and rushed out.

Footsteps pounded behind her, but she didn't look to see who it was. She just wanted to get away from Sirius' accusing look. Why did she say such a tactless thing? Now Sirius was going to think she'd only befriended him to annoy her mum! It was something he would do, after all.

Liz ducked behind a suit of armor, burying her face in her knees. She lifted her head almost immediately, though, as Sirius' face swam before her eyes.

"Liz?" Remus said, kneeling next to her. "What's wrong?"

"Sirius is mad at me now, isn't he? I shouldn't have told him mum didn't want us to be friends. I'm so stupid!" Liz sniffed, surprised to find she was crying. She wiped her cheeks with her sleeve.

"Look," Remus said gently. "Sirius doesn't hate you. He was just a bit surprised for a moment."

Liz lifted her head to meet his gaze. "Seriously?"

"Sirius-ly, you mean?" They both laughed at the joke, and Liz began to feel better. "It's not my place to judge, but I think you're overreacting a bit." He saw her grimace and conceded the point. "Alright, a lot then. But when you feel up to it, the others are waiting in the Defence room for us."

Liz thought about it. In retrospect, she was being pretty dramatic. "It's just... I've never really had any friends before. I grew up in a muggle town, so that set me apart a bit, and the other kids thought I was weird because I liked to read so much. So I've never had to deal with this stuff before."

Remus looked down at his hands. "I never had any friends either," he said quietly. "I... got sick a lot as a kid- well, I still do, as a matter of fact- so kids' parents kept them away from me. We ended up having to move."

"That's not fair!" Liz said hotly. "Some kids are just like that. It's not your fault."

"Well, I guess not, but that's not what I'm trying to say. Listen, if Sirius really is your friend, which he is, then he'll forgive you. Simple as that." For the first time since her outburst, Liz began to really feel better.

"And if you had a secret you didn't tell us, we'd forgive you too," she said. "Pinkie promise." Remus hesitated. Liz could have sworn she saw... was that doubt in his eyes? "Is something wrong?"

Still, he hesitated. "...No, nothing." They locked fingers, and Remus grinned at her. "Come on, smile." Liz frowned comically. He laughed. "Come on, we don't want to give the others any reason to tease us." He offered her a hand and helped her up. They hurried back down the corridor and up a narrow flight of stairs, jumping the trick step halfway up. They reached the Defense classroom, thankfully with a few minutes to spare. James, Sirius and Peter were sitting near the door, whispering fervently. They looked up when Liz and Remus came in. Sirius waggled his eyebrows at them. James reached over and smacked him in the back of the head.

"Hey, guys," Sirius said, rubbing his head. He waved Liz to the seat next to him. Once she'd sat down, he leaned over. "Look, I don't care what your mum thinks. I'm not mad at you or anything, just surprised. I do wish you'd tell me stuff like this, though. Friends?"

Liz smiled. "Friends," she agreed. The five children spent the rest of their time planning their prank. Sirius had an idea involving the Spiderweb charm, used mostly for Halloween decorations, but once Liz had told him about Silly String, he'd found a better use for it.

The bell rang just as Professor Dranseau strode in. "Good morning, class. My name is Professor Dranseau. When I call your name, I want you to reply 'here'. Not 'yeah', or 'present', just 'here'. Elizabeth Auberey?"

"Here."

"Ryan Bennett?"

"Here."

"Sirius Black?"

"Here."

Professor Dranseau kept calling names until- "Remus... Lupin." He shot a nasty look at Remus. Liz glared at the teacher. Surely he wasn't going to pull a Slughorn?

"Here, sir." Professor Dranseau stopped and stared at Remus, a cold look on his face. Remus shrank back.

"What," Dranseau said, advancing toward them, "Did I say about role call?"

Remus gulped. "To just say 'here', sir."

"Exactly. Did you think to impress me, perhaps?" Dranseau had now drawn level with Remus.

"N-no, sir." Remus shot a frightened look at his friends.

"LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!" And, to everyone's horror, he struck Remus across the face.

Liz, James, Sirius, Peter, and Lily jumped up and began screaming obscenities at the professor. Remus wiped his mouth- his lip had split and was bleeding badly, Liz noticed with a fresh wave of rage.

Dranseau eyed the screaming children. "SIT DOWN!" he bellowed. "I will not tolerate disrespect in my classroom. Ten points each from Gryffindor and a detention for Lupin. I hope you're happy with yourselves."

Lily and Peter slowly sat down, glaring daggers at the professor, but Liz, James and Sirius remained standing. "Why?" Liz demanded. "What did he do to deserve detention, you old fart? You just HIT HIM for NO REASON!"

"He wasn't even armed! You're sick, twisted-" James yelled.

Sirius balled his fists. "What gives you the right to treat students like that?" You-" he said several words that Liz filed away for later use.

Dranseau's thin face purpled. "Detention for all three of you and a further twenty points each. Lupin!" he barked. "I want you to sit here." He pointed to the desk directly front and center and Liz's fear for her friend grew. Remus hurriedly gathered his things, all the while keeping a wary eye on the teacher.

Thankfully, the rest of the class was spent just going over what they would be learning that year, so Remus had no need to answer any questions and risk incurring the wrath of Dranseau again. The bell rang after what felt like an eternity and the students broke into nervous chatter as they hurried out of the classroom. The four friends approached Remus, who was slowly packig his things away. Liz noticed with a pang that his lip was still bleeding. The left side of his face was bruised.

"You alright?"she asked, cringing at the question. If course he wasn't alright! That... thing, not person, but thing, had hit him!

"M'fine," Remus muttered thickly. He looked close to tears.

"Let's go," James said, casting a dark look at Dranseau's office door.

"That foul, twisted, evil old-" Sirius raged as they trooped across the grounds to Herbology.

"Sirius, it's fine. Don't make a scene," Remus said quietly.

Sirius rounded on him. "It's fine? It's FINE? Don't you give me that load of hippogriff dung, you know perfectly well it's not fine! What in the name of Merlin did you do to deserve that?" Remus opened his mouth. "Nothing, that's what! You know what I think? I think we ought to use that Billywig powder on Dranseau instead! He's the biggest low- life scum I've ever met, and I know my parents! Why, if I-" As Sirius continued to rant, Liz's thoughts drifted to Remus. She was absolutely certain now that he was hiding something. He had lied about his schedule needing changing. He became quiet and moody for obscure reasons during a normal conversation. There were two teachers in the school who disliked him for no apparent reason. And there was that moment this morning, when he'd balked at her promise of not caring about any secrets he had.

So what was he hiding?

* * *

Remus had a headache. I had nothing to do with Dranseau hitting him, though that certainly hadn't helped. The full moon was quickly approaching, which usually meant he'd feel slightly ill and tempermental the week or so before. His mother jokingly referred to it as 'that time of the month'. She said Remus would understand when he was older. His father found it amusing, for some reason, but Remus couldn't imagine why.

He wished his friends would stop ranting- it was just making his headache worse. Although he didn't like the man, he could see where Dranseau was coming from. After all, who in their right mind would want to teach a werewolf? Dumbledore didn't count since everybody knew he was completely batty anyway.

Speaking of Dumbledore...

"You should go to Dumbledore," James was saying.

Remus shook his head, then wished he didn't. It just made his headache worse. "Professor Dumbledore has done enough for me already. It wouldn't be right to bother him with this."

"Done enough of what?" James demanded. "And I'm sure Dumbledore would want to know that a professor is hitting the students. You have to stand up for yourself! Sirius and I won't be around forever to do so."

Liz made an odd squeaking noise. Grateful for the distraction, Remus turned to her. "Something wrong?"

She shook her head, but there was a panicked look in her eyes. Remus mused that maybe her mother's warning wasn't the only secret Liz was keeping. "I just... stubbed my toe," she muttered. But he still wondered.

The weekend finally came. The five friends spent it outside, running about the grounds, exploring, and relaxing in the shade of an old beech tree by the lakeshore that they had claimed. They sat now, watching a small group of students that had gathered around the Whomping Willow. Every so often, one of them would dart forward and attempt to touch the violent tree's trunk, but most of them never came close.

"Remus, why can't we try it?" Sirius whined. He and James had both expressed a desire to play, and Liz had shown some interest as well, but Remus had flat- out refused to let them anywhere near the tree. He'd threatened to tell Professor McGonagall who'd dropped the chile powder into Dranseau's morning coffe while the house- elves were trying to fish Peter out of a giant tub of whipped cream he'd fallen into. That got them to stay away. For now.

"No," Remus said firmly. "You heard Professor Dumbledore- that thing's dangerous. I don't want you guys getting hurt." Although that was partly true, the other part of it was that he didn't want anyone to discover the secret passage to the old house in Hogsmeade. If anyone had any chance of doing that, it was his friends. And if they did discover it... well, he didn't want to think about it.

"So, are we going to finally prank the Slytherins tonight?" Liz suddenly asked. She had been studying a book she'd obtained from the library- Jinxes for the Jinxed- and muttering to herself.

"Think so," James said. "Do you have the checklist?"

Liz pulled a piece of parchment from her bag."Whipped cream, check, Spiderweb charm, check, color- changing charm, check, Billywig powder, check- anything else oh wanted to add?"

James grinned. "Stinksap. Lots and lots of Stinksap."

"Well, I don't know if we can get that," Remus said. "You can either buy it, which is impossible on such short notice, or you can conjure it if you can perform the spell, which we can't-"

"Yet," Sirius interrupted.

"-yet," Remus continued, sighing, "Or you can get it from a Mimbelus Mimbletonia or a Deathstench Mushroom, and I don't know where we'd get either one of those."

They all thought for a few moments. "I know!" Peter suddenly cried. Remus couldn't believe his ears. Peter was actually acting independently?

"You... do?" James asked incredulously. Remus wasn't the only one staring at Peter, shocked.

"Yeah, it's so obvious, I can't believe you didn't think of it before!" Peter said, pointing to the greenhouses.

* * *

Since Peter was the one who had thought of it, he was allowed to lead the mission instead of just acting as the bait. The incident that morning to get the whipped cream didn't count- he was supposed to create a diversion so Liz and James could dump the child powder in Dranseau's coffee. His friends thought he'd pretended to trip into the tub, but in reality, he had stumbled. The whipped cream they had now for their prank was what they'd managed to scrape off his clothes. It was an added bonus- nothing more. This time, he was determined to do his part right.

As the leader, Peter got to choose his backup partner instead of them having to draw straws to see who'd get stuck with him. Peter chose Liz- she didn't make fun of him like James and Sirius or ignore him like Remus. Peter didn't mind, usually- it was cool that they let him hang out with them, though he did sometimes wish they'd be a bit nicer.

James headed up to the castle on the off chance that Professor Sprout was in the staffroom for lunch, while Sirius went to her office in greenhouse one. Their jobs were to make sure that Sprout didn't decide, for whatever reason, to go to greenhouse six where the Deathstench Mushrooms resided.

Remus' job was to act as a lookout. He went with Peter and Liz to the greenhouse door, then sat down just outside with his book. If Sprout were to come by and ask what he was doing, he would say that he needed some peace and quiet to read. The noise of the conversation would be enough to alert Peter and Liz, who would then hide under the invisibility cloak.

Greenhouse six was locked when they got there (and for good reason- there were some deadly plants in the upper greenhouses), but Remus simply tapped the lock with his wand and said, "Alohamora," and the door swung open silently. They were in.

Peter and Liz, who had the invisibility cloak over her arm (James never went anywhere without it), hurried through. "Remember, Mimbilus Mimbletonia looks a bit like a diseased liver, and a Deathstench Mushroom is black with really dark green and brown gills. But make sure it's not a Black Cough Mushroom- they look almost identical." Liz made her way over to the cacti, while Peter was supposed to go to the mushrooms.

"And what exactly does that do?" Peter said nervously, eyeing some nearby black mushrooms warily.

Liz paused. "Oh, not much... just... stay away from them."

Peter didn't like the sound of that. "Liz, what do they do?"

"Well, nothing if you don't touch them. But if you do, they release a cloud of toxic spores. If you inhale them, they burn loads of tiny holes in your lungs. You basically die of blood loss and suffocation." She made a face. "Not a nice way to go." Peter gulped, even more nervous now. Liz glanced at him and bit her lip. "You know, maybe I ought to check the mushrooms. I mean, I know how to identify them from this book I read once..."

Peter nodded gratefully, but felt a twinge of disappointment mixed in with the relief. He had wanted to prove that he could harvest potentially deadly mushrooms just as well as the other four. Liz had pretty much just told him that she didn't trust him, and that hurt. Peter set off down a row of cacti, looking for a diseased liver thing. Sure, there were labels, but they were all written in Latin. There was no way they could decipher them.

They'd been searching for only a minute when Peter heard Remus' muffled voice outside. He couldn't make out the words, but he freaked out anyway. He ran back to Liz and the safety of the invisibility cloak. "Liz!" he squealed.

"What?" She bent over to inspect some black mushrooms.

"I heard Remus-" but Peter never got to finish his sentence. As he ran, he glanced over his shoulder to the door and tripped on the hem of his robes, careening straight into Liz and knocking her face first into the mushrooms. A thick cloud of black spores erupted around her. Peter scrambled backward, avoiding them, but Liz never stood a chance. She'd inhaled sharply as Peter hit her, breathing in a very large portion of the spores. Then everything became chaos.

Liz doubled over in pain, wheezing. "Get Remus," she choked. She started coughing, great racking coughs that began to bring up so much blood...

"REMUS!" Peter screamed in terror. The door burst open and Remus and Sirius came running in.

"Oh Merlin! Elizabeth!" Remus cried. He dropped to his knees beside her. "We have to get her to the Hospital Wing NOW!" He tried to lift her, but wasn't strong enough.

Sirius was white in the face, but pointed his wand at Liz. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Peter was instantly thankful that Remus had insisted they all practice that spell just the night before. Remus tried to pick Liz up again and it was obviously much easier now. Peter ran to hold the door open for them.

Sirius directed his wand at the blood Liz had coughed up. "Scourgify," he said, then sprinted after his friends.

Peter hurried after them, tears streaming down his cheeks, because he knew it was all his fault. His fault. His fault.

* * *

Remus raced across the grounds and through the oak front doors, ignoring the startled yells of students as he passed. Liz coughed, spraying blood all over him. No! No, not Elizabeth! This was exactly why he didn't want to go around pranking people. People could get hurt. Liz was only supposed to be getting Stinksap, and she was dying because of it.

Remus ran past James who turned and followed, hot on his heels; past McGonagall, who cried, "Mr. Lupin, what-?"; past Dranseau, whose face contorted with rage as they flew by; up a flight of stairs, down a corridor, and into the Hospital Wing. He was immensely grateful that McGonagall had explained in such detail how to get there.

Madam Pomferey was folding bed curtains when he burst in. "Mr. Lupin, what-?" she cut herself off at the sight of Liz. "Put her on the bed here," she said, indicating the one next to her. Remus did as he was told, removing the Levitation Charm as he did so. Liz coughed again. Blood splattered in his eyes, blinding him. He wiped it away. James, Sirius and Peter arrived just then, followed closely by Professors McGonagall and Dranseau.

"I knew it!" Dranseau exploded. "I knew it was only a matter of time! He did this to her, I saw the blood, I-"

"Professor Dranseau, BE QUIET!" McGonagall roared. "Mr. Lupin did not hurt Miss Auberey, Mr. Pettigrew just told me what happened. And according to him, Mr. Lupin wasn't even around when this happened. So unless you have something intelligent to contribute to the conversation, you may leave!"

Dranseau's face turned red, then purple, then he turned and stalked out the door. "Professor?" James said, looking from Remus to McGonagall and back. "Why does Professor Dranseau hate Remus so much?"

"I'm not sure," she answered. Remus bowed his head, tears leaving tracks on his blood- smeared face. Dranseau was right. He didn't deserve to be at Hogwarts, to have such wonderful friends. He was a monster. He might as well have killed Liz. Like Dranseau said, it was only a matter of time.

Madam Pomferey had cleaned Liz up and given her a blood replenishing potion, but every few seconds, the poor girl would cough up more blood. At least she wasn't in any pain for now. She had passed out sometime during his run to the castle. "What happened?" the matron asked.

"We were messing around outside near the forest and Liz tripped and landed in this clump of black mushrooms," Peter said. Remus looked up- he hadn't realized Peter could lie so well. "The mushrooms kind of exploded and they made this huge black cloud..."

"Not Black Cough mushrooms?" Madam Pomferey's face whitened. "How much did she inhale?"

"I don't know, it was a lot..." Remus wanted to scream at Peter's words. Black Cough mushrooms? Even a few spores could kill you. A lot? He didn't wan to think about it.

"Boys, could to please leave us for a few moments? Not you, Mr. Lupin," McGonagall said. Remus froze. Here it was. He was going to be expelled. Though, if he were to be honest with himself, he was surprised he'd even lasted the week.

Once James, Sirius and Peter had shut the door behind them, Remus said, "I'll go get my stuff then." He spoke to his feet, his voice barely above a mumble.

"Why, Mr. Lupin, would you do that?" McGonagall sounded shocked.

He looked up, hardly daring to believe what he'd heard. "You mean, I'm not going to be expelled?" McGonagall's eyes narrowed.

"Just because Professor Dranseau can't see past prejudices doesn't mean the rest of us can't," she said. "I meant what I said when I told Mr. Potter I'm not sure why he dislikes you." Liz coughed weakly behind them.

"I'm-"

"A kind, thoughtful, hardworking and loyal young man," she said firmly. "You need to stop seeing yourself through others' eyes and start doing a little looking on your own. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to owl Miss Auberey's parents. Good day, Mr. Lupin." McGonagall gave him a small smile, and with one last look at Liz, she left.

The moment she was gone, James, Sirius, and Peter hurried back in. "What did McGonagall want?" Sirius demanded.

"Just wanted to let me know that she believes Pete," Remus said quietly.

Madam Pomferey came over to them. "I need to get a potion from my office. Keep an eye on your friend. If she stops breathing, call me immediately." They nodded and she bustled off.

"I'm so sorry," Peter burst out. "It's all my fault! I heard voices outside, I got scared and knocked Liz over, I didn't realize it was just Remus and Sirius!"

"No," James said. "It's my fault. If I hadn't wanted Stinksap, you wouldn't have been in the greenhouses in the first place."

"If I hadn't gotten bored and went to talk to Remus-" Sirius began, but was cut off by Liz's coughs. Remus gave her hand a gentle squeeze. James took the other.

"We're here, Liz, all of us- James and Sirius and Peter and me, and I know if you could talk, you'd probably yell at me for calling you that." Remus didn't really know what to say, but James spoke for him.

"Look, Liz, if you die on us, we'll never forgive you. Whose idea was it to use that whipped cream of Peter's on the Slytherins? Yours. So hang in there- we still have to pull our prank!" She coughed weakly, sending flecks of blood flying through the air. Sirius wiped her face off with his sleeve. She drew in a shuddering breath and they waited for her to inhale again. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four.

"Madam Pomferey!" Sirius yelled. The nurse hurried out of her office, clutching a potion bottle.

"I need you four out of here, now!" she barked. The boys scattered.

The last thing Remus saw as he turned to close the door was Liz's white, blood covered face.

* * *

Liz could hear Remus and Sirius talking outside and felt a flash of annoyance. How could Sirius abandon his post for such a crucial mission, just because he was bored?

"Liz!" Peter squeaked.

"What?" She bent over, trying to get a better look at the undersides of some black mushrooms. Deathstench or Black Cough? Peter came running over.

"I heard Remus-" something hit Liz in the back, hard. She fell face-first into the mushrooms, the wind knocked out of her. A black cloud of spores erupted around her, right at the moment Liz managed to breathe again. Her lungs started to burn.. She doubled over, clutching her chest. Oh, no.

"Get Remus and Sirius," she tried to yell, but started coughing. There was blood in her nostrils, in her mouth, in her lungs. Liz coughed harder, trying to get it out, but the blood kept coming. Her brain wasn't working right. She felt faint. She was only vaguely aware of someone lifting her, as though she weighed nothing, then a jolting sensation accompanied by the sound of pounding footsteps.

There was something hot and sticky on her face, and something soft beneath her. There were people yelling, an odd, bittersweet taste in her mouth, then nothing...

"Just because Professor Dranseau can't see past predjudices doesn't mean the rest of us can't." More voices. Liz coughed weakly, bringing up more blood. She let the blackness close around her again.

Someone took her hands. There was someone talking, and someone wiping her face, and she was glad for the company. She was scared. She wanted her parents. And where were her friends? Why weren't they with her?

Liz tried to focus on the voice, but it was getting so hard to stay awake, to breathe. She coughed and found she couldn't inhale again. The hand disappeared and she was alone. So alone. She wanted whoever it was to come back. She couldn't breathe...

She was standing in the History of Magic classroom. Remus was sitting on the floor, his back to her. He looked older- he was a lot taller, and his hair was flecked with grey. There was a boy sitting next to him, a boy that looked remarkably like James, with the same skinny build and eternally messy black hair. But why was Remus so old? And was it really James? She couldn't move to see their faces.

"I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum," the boy was saying. He even sounded like James. So why did she get the sense that it wasn't her friend? And who or what was Voldemort?

'It's my fault,' a voice in her head said. 'I chose the wrong path. I could have prevented this.'

A high, cold laugh. A jet of green light. Then-

"Liz?"

She opened her eyes groggily. Sunlight blinded her, and she quickly shut them again.

"Liz?" James' voice. "Are you awake?" She opened her eyes again. She was lying on a bed in what looked like the Hospital Wing. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were sitting around her. Their faces broke into identical smiles of relief as she looked at them.

Liz tried to speak but no sound came out. It hurt to breathe. Her lungs stung. "Madam Pomferey said it might be a while before you could talk," Sirius said as she opened and closed her mouth, the perfect likeness of a goldfish. "Your parents were here a few days ago. Scared to death, they were."

"Oh, and you weren't?" James asked. Sirius shrugged, but they knew that he had been. They all had.

Liz waved to get their attention and mimed writing in midair.

"Oh, you want to write? Hang on..." Peter rummaged in his bag and pulled out a piece of parchment and a battered quill.

_How long have I been in here_? She wrote.

"Three days," Remus said. Liz's eyes widened. It had been that long? She would have so much homework to make up!

_How much homework do I have?_ The boys, minus Remus, burst into laughter. Scowling, she scribbled furiously. It's not funny. Remus, please? James was still laughing.

"You're so alike, you and Remus. He wouldn't stop yapping. 'Help me take notes for Liz,' or 'What books do you think she'll need?' Or-"

Liz made a slashing motion across her throat, cutting him off, her eyes sparkling with laughter, her dream temporarily forgotten. _How did the prank go?_ She asked.

"We haven't done it yet," Peter said, lowering his voice and checking over his shoulder. "We were waiting for you to get better."

"Anyway, once you're feeling up to it, we'll be pranking the Slytherins," Sirius said with relish.

Liz grinned at them. _I can't wait,_ she scrawled.

* * *

**A/N: Loved it? Hated it? Review! Or I will set my guinea pig demons on you! Muahahaha!**

**If anyone can guess what Liz's visions mean, or how she's having said visions, or why she doesn't exist in the canon timeline, I'll PM you with a congradulations and a virtual cookie! Yay, cookies! *shoves an Oreo in mouth* Nom nom nom! Some of the answers will be given in Chapter Seven.**

**Please, please, please review! I'll keep posting anyway, but they make me happy, and when I'm happy, I write better chapters. I really need the extra push to write when I'm not in school- over the summer holidays, I put the 'pro' in procrastination. Or maybe I write better when I'm bored. Hugs to everyone who reviews my story!**

**I wasn't planning on the whole mushroom episode, or the Dranseau attack, but it worked out for chapter seven in the end. I didn't really like it, but I found it was necessary. Sorry. I just... bleagh, I don't know. I'm pretty sure a teacher wouldn't act like that, and if they did, Dumbledore would do something about it, but I can't help remembering Lockhart and Umbridge and how they got away with everything. So I'm betting on Dumbledore always turning a blind eye to make this work. I really didn't like writing this, just for the record. It was painful. Especially Liz running away and crying behind a suit of armor. I was pulling my hair out at that point. I don't want a Mary- Sue as my main character! Gah! *bangs head on keyboard* Sue me. Uh, pun not intended.**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**


	7. The Marauders

**A/N: So- Chapter Seven, as promised! Two chapters in one week? I'm spoiling you guys! I'm touched by the large (for a newbie) number of favorites and reviews! But seriously, 175 hits, 59 visitors and _only_ 15 reviews? Those guinea pigs are getting hungry...**

**Just for the record, I have no idea when moonrise would be in England in September, so I just made it around eight- thirtyish. Sorry if I make anyone mad- I'm just a stupid American with decent grammar who is too lazy to look it up, ha ha.**

**This chapter was posted when I was drunk on sleeplessness and coffee. if you like coffee, HIGH FIVE! (I really need to switch to decaf...)**

**Disclaimer****: The only characters I own are Elizabeth and the other random OCs. Deal with it. Or don't read. Actually, you know what? Read. I mean it. I will reply to ANY reviews, no matter how short or hateful! Just review!**

**Oh, and I'll reply to anonymous reviews here.**

**foofooman3****- **Great chapter, have them release some slimy creature in the dungeons before potions.

Great;)

**I'm glad you liked it :) Um, 'some slimy creature'? Like what? A Minecraft slime? Time to go check Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them...**

**anon****- **Can't wait for chap 7. Will they get the stinkstap later?

**Not for this prank, no. Sorry. But they do get something even BETTER! AHA! *clears throat* Hem hem.**

**Alright, time for the story!**

Liz couldn't believe she'd been at Hogwarts for nearly two weeks already. Then again, she had been unconscious for three days. Maybe that was why she felt so out of sorts.

The boys stayed with her for the rest of the evening, helping her catch up on her homework. They had some papers in Charms and Potions, and they had to learn to Transfigure a broom into a mop. Only James and Sirius had managed it so far, though, as Liz irritably scribbled, trying to do the spell nonverbally didn't exactly help her.

Liz finally started recovering her voice the next day, and the day after, she could breathe without it hurting anymore. She was released Friday morning, just in time for breakfast (and classes with Dranseau, urgh!) with strict orders to not do any strenuous physical activity and to stay inside. She promised to do so (surreptitiously crossing her fingers behind her back) and headed down to the Great Hall.

Sirius was the first one to see her come in. "Liz!" he yelled, jumping off the bench and racing toward her. He caught her up in a bear hug, which quickly became a group hug. Liz found her face squashed into James' armpit- not exactly a nice place to be.

"Guys, I'm fine," she said hoarsely, her voice muffled by the armpit. "Lemme go, I can't breathe."

"Sorry," James said. They quickly let go. "You hungry?"

"Starving." She followed them back to their seats. As she was building a sausage- egg- cheese- and- tomato- on- a- biscuit sandwich, Professor McGonagall appeared.

"Now that Miss Auberey is out of the Hospital Wing, you will serve your detentions for Professor Dranseau tonight."

"What?" Remus yelped. "Professor, I can't, I- I-" He stammered. "I- don't feel very well." Liz looked at his plate. He'd barely touched his toast. She grimaced. Poor Remus.

McGonagall looked at him for a moment, then her eyes widened slightly. She nodded. "Of course. Mr. Lupin, you will serve your detention Saturday instead."

"What?" James said. "Why? I mean, if you put it off for Liz-"

"That's my final word, Potter. I suggest you're on time. Nine o'clock tonight in the trophy room. Good day." She went back up to the head table.

Liz and the boys turned to look at Remus. "What was that about?" she asked.

Remus stared down at his toast as though trying to decide wether or not he was hungry. "I told you, I don't feel very well. Just leave me alone, okay? Is it really that hard?" He pushed his plate away and left.

Peter stared after him, his mouth open. "What's up with him?

"Haven't you noticed?" James said, pushing his own plate away. "He's been acting oddly since last Friday. He hasn't hardly eaten, and he and I nearly had a row about finishing Flitwick's dumb Charms homework."

"Plus, Slughorn and Dranseau don't like him," Sirius added. "D'you reckon they're connected?"

"Maybe they're just a bunch of random coincidences?" Liz put in, not really believing it herself.

They were interrupted by the sound of hundreds of owls arriving with the day's mail. Athena dropped a parcel in Liz's lap. It was surprisingly heavy. She tore it open, the boys leaning over to watch.

It was... a book? Liz opened it to find an attached black ribbon bookmark and hundreds of blank lined pages. There was a note just inside the leather covers.

_Liz,_

_We hope you're feeling better- Professor McGonagall told us you'd be going back to class today. I figured you'd want to record any more crazy accidents if (heaven forbid) they should happen. Or you could just scribble meaningless stuff in it. Whatever strikes your fancy. I will tell you that I wish I had something like this from my school years. Make some memories, sweetie!_

_I met your friends while you were sick. I'm not mad at you for befriending Sirius. He introduced himself _Liz gave a start- Sirius had never told her_... to me and seemed like a charming young man. I'm actually glad you didn't take my advice for once! But Siriusly, _Liz rolled her eyes at the much- abused pun_ let's not make a habit of it!_

_Love, Mum_

_P.S. It's Chris hi Liz how's it going I miss you MOOP=moo poop_

Liz stared at the last line. Only Chris... Shaking her head, she ran her fingers over the black leather covers. She noticed her initials stamped on the bottom left corner in silver: EGR. Liz slipped the journal into her bag, smiling to herself.

"What was it?" James asked, pausing in opening his own letter.

"Just a journal," Liz shrugged. "Nothing special. I've never been able to keep one going for longer than a week, so..."

"You could use it to plot ways of getting Snivellus expelled," Sirius quipped. They all laughed, but Liz felt a pang as she imagined Remus' disapproving face. Why did boys have to be so difficult and moody?

And, of course, her stupid cousin had to ruin her mood.

"Good day, dear cousin," a misty voice said. Liz groaned to herself.

"What do you want, Sybill?" she said. Her distant cousin, Sybill Trelawney, was standing behind her, her already enormous eyes magnified to three times their size by her jewel- encrusted glasses.

"I merely wanted to apologize for not visiting the infirmary while you were there," the fifth year girl said. "Since I foresaw you would recover fully though, I deemed it to be unnecessary." She wrapped a beaded scarf around her neck, her bangles jangling loudly.

Liz didn't know wether to be annoyed or to laugh. "Um, that's fine, Sybill. Do you mind? I'd like to get back to my breakfast."

"Of course, dear Elizabeth. Good day." Her cousin drifted back to the Ravenclaw table.

"That's your cousin?" Sirius asked, staring after her. "Merlin, and I thought mine were weird."

"What did she mean, she 'foresaw' your recovery?" James asked.

Liz sighed. "Our great- grandmother was Cassandra Trelawney-"

"The seer?" Peter asked, his eyes widening. "Cool!"

"No, not cool. Sybill is convinced she's got the Sight as well, and she can't even predict the weather. It's bloody annoying."

"Wait," James said, his brow furrowed. "I thought you were a half- blood. Muggleborn mum and muggle dad, right? So how are you related to Cassandra?"

"Sybill is descended from Cassandra's son, who was a wizard, but her daughter was a squib. She married a muggle, and their kids married muggles, and so on. So, technically speaking, since my mum was a witch and my dad a muggle, I'm a half- blood, but since mum was a muggleborn, I'm registered as one, too. It's complicated."

"I'll say," Peter said, shaking his head.

"Hey, Elizabeth!"

"What _now_?" she said irritably as Lily ran up to her, flanked by Sarah and Victoria. Lily looked a little hurt, but her friends started whispering, staring curiously at Liz. She groaned to herself again. This day just kept getting better and better.

"I just wanted to ask how you were doing," Lily said. "Remus told me you'd been in the Hospital Wing, and I wanted to see if you were alright- Elizabeth?"

Liz was frowning at her plate, stabbing at bits of fallen egg with her fork. "Yeah, I'm fine. And don't call me Elizabeth." James and Sirius beamed proudly. Lily looked at her curiously. Liz stared back.

"Well, sorry for worrying about you," Lily huffed. As they passed by on their way to the doors, Victoria flicked Liz in the back of the head.

James and Sirius started to rise from their seats, but Liz muttered, "Don't. Save it for Dranseau. I'll deal with her later." They nodded, sending murderous glares at the raven- haired girl.

"Speaking of Dranseau, we'd better get going if we don't want to be late," Peter said. They got up and followed the girls out.

"So when are we going to do the prank if we have detention tonight?" Liz asked as they climbed the stairs to the third floor.

James cackled. "Who said anything about detentions?"

Liz's jaw dropped. "You mean skip? We'll get into even worse trouble!" Peter nodded fervently.

"So?" Sirius shrugged. "What's the worst they can do? Put us in more detentions? Listen, we've put this off for far too long. We're doing it tonight, detention or no." He folded his arms as though to say, 'so there'.

"Besides," James added. "It's not like detentions will keep you from graduating or anything. It's just a waste of good pranking time." Liz had to concede the point, but she wasn't about to let it drop.

"What about Remus? I mean, he's not feeling very well, so... I mean, you guys put it off for me."

"Yeah, but Remus doesn't want to do the prank. It's cool- he'll understand," Sirius said, shrugging unconcernedly.

Liz frowned. "If you say so, but I want to get his okay. I know I'd be pretty ticked if you did it to me."

"Fine," Sirius agreed, "But you know he'll be fine with it!"

Liz sighed. It was really more about trust issues than anything. She was certain as well that Remus wouldn't mind- it was just the nice thing to do, asking his permission.

They reached Dranseau's classroom just seconds before the bell rang, making it impossible to talk to Remus about the prank. The professor turned from the blackboard where he'd been writing. "Today, we will be covering the Flipendo Jinx," he said. As he began the lesson, Liz tuned him out. She watched Remus for a while, who was scrunched in his front row seat to present as small a target as possible. Liz pulled out a piece of scrap parchment and began drawing herself hexing Dranseau, only vaguely aware of the lecture.

A shadow fell across her paper and she looked up. "Miss Auberey." Dranseau was standing next to her. "What, may I ask, is so much more important than my lesson?" He took the doodle off her desk. After inspecting it for a few moments, he looked at her, thin lips pursed. "If you think you can perform the jinx successfully, feel free to come to the front of the class and use it on me." Liz looked at him, incredulous. Was he actually giving her permission to hex him? "That's not a request."

Liz got up slowly and made her way to the front of the room, then turned to face Dranseau. His own wand was out and ready. The class watched with bated breath.

Liz was totally confident in her ability to jinx the man, but didn't want him to know that. So she stood there, biting her lip and trembling. All the while, she was struggling to keep from bursting out laughing.

"I will repel your jinx, assuming you are able to cast it properly," Dranseau said. "I will also be _attempting_ to cast it on you." His tone told her clearly that he was in no doubt about his ability to do so. "You will-"

Liz acted while he was speaking. Whipping her wand overhead once, like a lasso, she brought it around to point at the teacher. "Flipendo!" she cried. A jet of reddish- orange light shot out of the tip of her wand and hit him in the chest. He flew backward, hitting the wall with a sickening _crunch_. She smirked, but it quickly slid off her face as Dranseau got to his feet, murder in his eyes. He was breathing like a winded rhinoceros. Liz fought the urge to turn and run.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor, Auberey," he snapped. Liz's jaw dropped. That was so unfair!

"What!" she cried. "You told me to try and jinx you, and I did! So why-"

"Silence!" his voice was deadly quiet. "You will speak to me respectfully."

"I'll speak to you respectfully when you deserve it, you old toad." The class gasped. Liz knew she was way over the line, but by that point, she was beyond caring. She braced herself for a fist, ready to duck, but all Dranseau did was breathe heavily through his nose.

"Another twenty points and a week of detentions. I will be seeing you later tonight. Go back to your desk." He turned and swept back to the blackboard. Liz stuck her tongue out at his back and flounced back to her seat, giving Remus a fleeting smile as she passed. Peter's eyes were wide with fear, but Sirius was shaking with silent laughter. James turned around in his seat and gave her a thumbs- up. Liz grinned back at him.

Dranseau spent the rest of the class having the students practivce the jinx on a dummy he'd conjured and verbally bullying Remus. It was a huge relief when the bell finally rang. "Homework!" Dranseau called as they prepared to leave. "A foot long essay on the proper technique of the Flipendo Jinx and its uses. Due next class!"

As soon as they were out of the room, Remus said, "I have to go to the Hospital Wing. I really don't feel well."

"Want one of us to come with you?" James asked, but Remus shook his head. "Well, if you're sure..."

"I'm sure. See you guys later." Remus trudged in the opposite direction, looking very forlorn.

"Poor bloke," Sirius said. "He's not been looking too well lately, has he?"

"Don't worry, Sirius, he'll be fine," Peter said, looking very worried himself.

Much to their relief, Remus reappeared halfway through their next class, looking slightly better. Much to their dismay, though, as they walked to the Great Hall for dinner, Remus announced that he needed to go to the Hospital Wing again, once more rejecting their offers of accompaniment. Liz and James exchanged glances. She wasn't very hungry now. She was worried again about Remus and could tell the others were too. Liz frowned at her friend's retreating back. Something was going on. Her worries were driven out of her mind as she realized with a jolt that they'd forgotten to tell Remus about their plans. She groaned.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked. "Another person with a headache?"

"Nah, it's just that I realized that we forgot to tell Remus we were going ahead with the prank," she murmured so their Housemates couldn't hear her. James smacked himself on the forehead.

"So, are we still going on with the prank tonight?" Sirius asked, poking his own pie. He shoved a forkful into his mouth reluctantly, then apparently decided he was hungry again and began shoveling it in.

"I think we should. We've put it off for too long," James said decidedly.

"No Stinksap?" Liz asked, grinning. They laughed, though it sounded rather strained.

"No Stinksap," he promised.

Liz glanced at the ceiling, watching as overhead, the full moon rose slowly into the sky.

xxxxxxxxxx

Remus made his way to the Hospital Wing after shaking his friends off. The way Liz had stood up to Dranseau amazed him, but not as much as the speed at which she'd mastered the jinx. When he thought about it, though, he really shouldn't have been surprised. After all, wasn't she the one who had tripped up Sirius on their very first day?

He rubbed his temples. His head was pounding. Remus trudged to the Hospital Wing. When he arrived, he knocked, but no one answered. He pushed the doors open and went in.

Madam Pomferey was hidden behind some bed curtains. "As long as you keep taking the potion, the tail should go away soon," she was saying. "I'll be back to check on you in an hour." She came around the curtains and spotted Remus. She smiled at him. "Headache, dear?" she said kindly.

"Yes, ma'am." Madam Pomferey disappeared into her office and reappeared with a goblet full of some potion or other.

"Drink that up," she said, handing it to Remus. He gulped the sickly sweet potion down and felt his headache reside a bit. "Better?" Madam Pomferey asked, taking the goblet back from him.

"Much," Remus said. "Thank you, ma'am."

"No need to thank me," the nurse said. "But you're welcome. You'd best run along unless you want to miss your class."

Remus hurried down to the greenhouses, glancing at Number Six as he passed. It seemed ages ago when they had attempted their Stinksap raid, yet it had only been a week ago. It was strange, and unsettling, to think that Liz was the only one of his friends to know what it was like to lie on a cold floor surrounded by a pool of your own blood...

Remus mentally slapped himself. The full moon wasn't for another few hours yet; he could save the depressing thoughts for afterwards. But for now, his friends were waiting for him.

Of course, that evening, he was starting to wish his friends weren't quite so inquisitive. He knew they'd be wondering where he'd gone and was quite certain that Liz, at least, and maybe James, would see through his cover story. For the moment, though, he simply recycled his headache excuse and left them in front of the Great Hall. All he could hope for was that his friends would think to take notes for him. He'd have a lot of homework to catch up on.

Madam Pomferey met him outside the Hospital Wing. She smiled at Remus as he approached, but he could sense the underlying urgency in her body language. They made their through the castle, ducking into unused classrooms to avoid students, and eventually emerged onto the grounds. Brilliant orange and purple and red mingled in the sky, their shadows elongated magnificently on the grass. Madam Pomferey led him down to the Whomping Willow. When they were just outside the range of the flailing branches, Madam Pomferey seized a long stick lying on the ground and jabbed it at a knot in the trunk. The tree froze immediately, revealing a dark gap among the roots. Remus was surprised, and a little worried, at how easy it was.

"I will come back for you at sunrise," Madam Pomferey said.

"Can you hold on to my wand for me? I don't want to snap it," Remus said, embarrassed.

"Of course, dear." She took his proffered wand and tucked it safely on her apron. She clapped him encouragingly on the shoulder and watched as he slid into the tunnel.

Remus hurried along. The tunnel was low- he could stand up in it now, but knew that would change in a few years. His head was already scraping the ceiling. He could feel the imminent moonrise. It was a subtle feeling, not dissimilar to indigestion, but he could feel it all the same, if he paid attention. Unfortunately, since he had nothing to occupy him, he had nothing else to focus on. He wished so much that he was with his friends now, even if they were in detention. Scrubbing trophies was much more fun than what he'd be going though tonight.

The tunnel began to slope upward and he spotted a trapdoor in the ceiling ahead of him. He sped up, and when he reached it, he opened it and heaved himself through.

Remus found himself in a large house, beautifully furnished with squashy armchairs, several tables and a soft carpet. He wished it wasn't so nice- it wasn't going to stay that way for long. He decided to use the time he had before moonrise to look around while the house was still intact.

Remus had just reached the second floor when the moon decided to make itself known. The bite on his shoulder flared with pain. He stiffened. His eyesight sharpened and he knew they had turned amber. His skin felt like it was being ripped off as thick grey fur exploded all over his body. His bones snapped and reformed, feeling like the joints were being welded together by a muggle blowtorch. His face elongated painfully as he fell onto all fours. He was screaming, his throat feeling like it was splitting from the force of his cries. His robes shredded as his body doubled, tripled in size.

The pain of the transformation was said to be worse than the Cruciatus Curse, but Remus was used to it. He'd been enduring it, once a month, twelve times a year, ever since he was five. He knew there was no point in crying- nothing could change the pain, but he couldn't help it.

A blazing fire engulfed his head as his brain was the last thing to change.

Remus Lupin was no more. In his place was the werewolf. It cocked it's head, catching a scent. A human had been here recently! It ran through the house, following the scent. Yet there was no human to be found. Then it caught the scent on its own fur. It twisted its head around, biting and clawing and tearing.

The werewolf howled, sounding uncannily like a screaming human.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Did you hear that?" James said suddenly. They were in their dormitory, collecting the invisibility cloak, Billywig powder, and whipped cream. The whipped cream, now almost a week out of the fridge, had obtained a foul yellow tint and smelled positively rancid. In other words, it was perfect for what they had in mind. It was even better than Stinksap. The window was open, letting the stench dissipate into the cool night air.

They all stopped gathering their things and listened intently. "I don't hear anything," Peter said. The moment he finished speaking, they jumped at the sound of faint screaming.

"Woah... What _is_ that?" Sirius ran over to the window. They crowded around him. Screams and howls drifted to them from-

"Hogsmeade?" Liz wondered aloud. "What's going on over there? Do you think everything's alright?" She bit her lip.

"Well..." James hesitated. "I don't know, but even if we went over there to find out, we couldn't help..." He looked down, as guilt washed over him. "I'm not saying I don't want to help, but if there was an attack or something, what could we do? We'd just be getting in the way." He shuffled his feet. It wasn't that he was scared, far from it, but there really was nothing they could do about the whatever- it- was.

Sirius put his hand on James' shoulder. "I understand, mate. I want to go, too, but what would we do? Throw whipped cream?" Everyone giggled a little hysterically.

"Maybe it's a werewolf," Peter said, his voice trembling. "One of the older students told me that some live in the Forbidden Forest."

Liz blanched. "Oh, Merlin, I hope not. What if it bit someone?"

"All the more reason not to go," Sirius said, glancing at James. "Now let's get down to the Slytherin common room before they relalize we've skived off detention."

They threw the cloak over themselves and made their way downstairs, through the portrait of the sleeping Fat Lady, and down the corridor. James tried not to think about how bad the whipped cream smelled in the confines of the cloak- it kept making everyone gag. He was glad he hadn't eaten much at dinner.

Liz led them down to the dungeons, narrowly avoiding Peeves, the poltergeist, who was rigging a bucket of slop to land on the head of the first person to enter the Great Hall the next morning. He turned when they passed by, his eyes narrowing with suspicion, but apparently didn't see anything and went back to his task.

They turned left, right, right, left, right, middle- James tried to keep track but quickly realized that if Liz weren't there, he would be hopelessly lost. It reminded him of the carts at Gringotts.

"You know, someone really needs to make a map of this place," James grumbled. "It's so huge, I bet even Dumbledore gets lost sometimes."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Not Dumbledore, but I know what you mean. Maybe _we_ ought to make a map. That would be cool!"

"Shut up, I'm trying to concentrate," Liz hissed. Right, left, hidden door, down stairs, very long corridor- dead end?

"Great. Now we're lost in the dungeons with two buckets of smelly whipped cream and no way of knowing how to get back. Way to go, Liz," Sirius said sarcastically.

She grinned at him. "Parselmouth."

"What-" The wall split open, revealing the Slytherin common room. "Never mind." they hurried through and the wall closed behind them.

"Okay, guys, here's the plan," James whispered. "Color change anything silver to gold, and green to red. Use Spiderweb Charms on doorknobs and latches, things like that. Once you're done with your section of the room, go help the others. When we're done with the common room, Liz will take the girls' dorms and we'll take the boys'. Got it?"

"Got it!" they chorused. They slipped out from under the cloak and James tucked it back in his bag. He set the whipped cream buckets near the staircases, then proceeded to change the colors in his quarter of the room, draping cobwebs on all the furniture and ceiling.

It took them nearly ten minutes, but it was worth it. The Slyhterin common room was almost unrecognizable. It looked almost exactly like the Gryffindor common room, if a colony of acromantulas were to take it over.

The four friends beamed at one another. "Good job, guys," James whispered, grinning evilly. "Same plan for the dorms. Sorry, Liz, but you're on your own." They all chuckled, remembering last week when they'd tried to sneak up to the first year girls' dorm and drape Liz's roommates' beds in cobwebs. The moment the boys started climbing the stairs, a seemingly sourceless wail sounded and the stairs had flattened, sending them tumbling head over heels over wands back to the common room. They didn't want to risk that happening here, so Liz would be doing her first solo mission tonight.

"Good luck, then," Liz said.

"Do what you will with the whipped cream, but remember to save some for all the shoes," Sirius reminded her. She nodded, picked up a bucket of the putrid whipped cream, and disappeared up the stairs. James hefted the other.

"I don't care about the others, but Snivellus is _mine_." Sirius looked like he was about to protest, but shrugged resignedly.

They trooped upstairs and slipped into the first years' dorm. They could just make out the shapes of Snivellus, Something Mulciber, and Something Else Avery.

"I call Avery," Sirius whispered. James and Peter nodded. James took the bucket over to Snivellus and began doling generous helpings of sludge into the boy's shoes. Sirius and Peter proceeded to give the dorm the same treatment as the common room.

"What do you think, Pete? Red and gold for Gryffindor, or pink?"

Peter thought about it. "Pink," they said at the same time. They crept to the unconscious Slytherins and used the color changing charm on their hair. James fought back a snicker as he handed the bucket to Sirius.

They finished with the first year's dorm and proceeded to the rest of the rooms. All of them got the whipped cream, spiderweb and pink hair treatment. James thought his sides would split from trying to keep his laughter in.

Finally, _finally_, they finished. They carefully shut the door on the prone forms of the seventh years and tiptoed back to the transformed common room. Since the sofas were covered in spiderwebs, they sat on the floor to wait for Liz. James looked at their handiwork proudly, but couldn't help thinking that it needed one last touch. Something to make it officially theirs.

"You remember when Liz said we needed a group name?" he said suddenly. "I think we need to sign the room. All we'd need to do would use the color changing charm on the wall as we traced the words with our wands."

"Got any ideas?" Sirius asked, leaning against the wall.

"The Tricksters?" Peter said. They looked at him.

"Definitely no," James said. "The Scarlet Five?"

"You're even crazier than Pete," Sirius snorted. "The Lions is lame, but I can't think of anything else."

"Well, what do you think Remus would suggest if he were here?" Peter said. They all thought about it, scratching their heads.

As they were thinking, Liz finally came down the stairs, clutching her sides and wheezing. James, thinking she was having a post- mushroom attack, jumped up, but she waved him off. He realized she was laughing.

"I turned all the girls' hair red and gold!" she gasped, slapping her thighs. James, Sirius and Peter shook with the effort of not bursting out laughing.

"What did you do with the bucket?" James asked, noting its absence.

"Let's just say that Selwyn girl in seventh year is in for a nasty surprise tomorrow morning," Liz giggled.

Sirius grabbed her arm and made her sit on the rug next to him. "We've been trying to come up with a group name to sign the wall with, but our ideas stink. You know Remus best- what do you think he would suggest?"

"Oh, and my ideas don't count?" Liz raised an eyebrow.

Sirius hastily tried to cover his mistake. "No, no, they do! We were just-" Liz punched his shoulder lightly.

"I'm kidding! I knew what you meant."

"Oh."

She thought about it. "Well, he'd probably suggest something a little more formal than what you guys were nominating."

"You heard us?" James asked, surprised. Had they really been that loud?

"No, but I have a very shrewd idea. I'm willing to bet one of you suggested The Lions?" James hid a grin as Sirius' cheeks colored. Liz shrugged. "Anyway, Remus would probably say something like The Marauders or The Knights of Gryffindor, something like that."

"Knights of Gryffindor is cheesy. Er, what was the other one?" James asked.

"The Marauders?"

"The Marauders..." he rolled the name around in his mouth like it was a sweet sugar quill. He looked at his friends. Sirius and Peter were nodding slowly. Liz looked thoughtful.

"I like it," Sirius declared. A broad grin swept over his face. "It's- it's-"

"It's perfect," Peter declared.

"All in favor of The Marauders?" Liz asked. She put her hand up. James, Sirius and Peter did the same. "Even if Remus were to vote against, it'll be four to one. So..."

"The Marauders it is!" James jumped up and drew his wand. "I need some help reaching the bare stretch of wall above the fireplace," he said. Liz rolled her eyes.

"Wouldn't it be easier to write it on the wall entrance?" she asked. "It's bare all the way from ceiling to floor, and everyone will see it when they go out."

"And this is why we brought a girl along," Sirius said. "They're much more sensible."

Liz smirked. "I'm never going to let you forget that, you know," she said.

Sirius shrugged. "Whatever."

James traced his wand over the bricks, making foot- high letters on the wall. When he stepped back, it was spectacular. Written in stylized scarlet letters that seemed to glow with an inner golden light, _The Marauders_ shone defiantly on the wall. Liz clapped him on the shoulder. "It's perfect," she said.

"Should we put our names on it?" Sirius asked.

"And get in trouble for it? Are you mental?" Liz asked.

"Well, what's the point in doing a prank if you don't get any credit for it?" Sirius said. Peter's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

James shook his head. "Let's wait until breakfast to announce it. I'm guessing Dumbledore will say something like, 'Who is responsible for this?' and we'll all stand up and say it was us. But we have to say it defiantly, and show that we are proud of it."

"We'll have to say that Remus is a Marauder too, but he wasn't part of _this_ prank," Sirius added. "That'll let the students know that there will be more."

A grin was slowly spreading on Liz's face. "You know, I think I'm okay with that. Mum can send all the Howlers she wants. What's the worst she'll do? Ground me for the entire summer? It's not like I'd be allowed to spend the night at your houses since you're all guys."

They looked at Peter. He gulped. "We'll get in sooo much trouble," he whined.

James slapped him heartily on the back. "That's the spirit!" he said. He yawned suddenly. He checked his watch and was surprised to see that it was already ten- thirty. "Ack! We'd better get to bed unless we want to miss breakfast tomorrow!" As a last touch, he set the almost empty bucket of whipped cream at the foot of the stairs in the vain hope someone would step in it, and they left.

Liz led them out of the dungeons and back to the common room. She headed up the stairs to her bed. "You know," she said suddenly, turning back, "I have a feeling this will be an interesting seven years." James nodded in agreement. "'Night, y'all."

"Good night," Sirius said. The boys climbed the stairs with leaden feet. When they pushed open the door to their room, they found that they were too tired to get changed and simply fell onto their beds. James vaguely registered that Remus still hadn't come back.

The faint screams were still drifting in through the open window when he fell asleep.

xxxxxxxxxx

Liz slouched into the girls' dorm, exhausted. It had been a long night. She was certain that the others were asleep, but was proven wrong when the covers of Lily's bed rustled and her dark form sat up. "Elizabeth?"

"Don't call me that," Liz mumbled automatically.

"Where were you? Sneaking around with Black and Potter? Professor McGonagall was furious you'd skipped detention!"

"Good night." Liz collapsed on her bed.

"Do you know how long she lectured me? Because of _you_? She took thirty points away from Gryffindor! And you'd already lost forty today from Dranseau! Plus the hundred and ten from the week before?"

"You lost ten of those points yourself," Liz pointed out, propping her chin up on her fist.

"Fine! A hundred, then! What I'm saying is, don't go around breaking the rules anymore! You'll lose us so many points! Gryffindor is already in last place for the House Cup. And it's all _your_ fault."

"Oh, all my fault? Are you just blaming me because you can? What about Molly the Prefect and her boyfriend, Arnold?"

"Arthur."

"Whatever. What about the fifty points they lost for being out after curfew? Or Ricky Davis? He lost twenty when he let a Fillibuster Firework off in the Great Hall last week. Remus told me."

"But how many of them lost a hundred and seventy? We're about to go into the negatives! Are you really so wrapped up in yourself that it's impossible to think about someone else for once?"

Liz glared at Lily. "Someone wrapped up in themselves? Have you _seen_ your friends lately? Are you really so thick that you can't see that Victoria thinks the universe revolves around her and that people should cater to her every whim? And Sarah is so ditzy that I'm surprised she remembers to turn her homework in!"

"DON'T YOU START ON MY FRIENDS!" Lily yelled.

"THEN DON'T YOU START ON MINE!" Liz yelled back. Liz heard Sarah and Victoria sit up.

"What's going on? Is Elizabeth bothering you, Lily?" Victoria asked.

"Don't call me Elizabeth!" Liz raged.

"Okay, I think we're all just a little tired and should go back to sleep," Sarah said, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, the problem is, Sarah, that in order to go _back_ to sleep, you needed to _be_ asleep In the first place," Lily said icily.

"I was going to _go_ to sleep until you decided it was your job to lecture me," Liz replied with equal coolness.

"Fine, then! Go to sleep! And when Gryffindor loses the House Cup, you can spend you entire summer wishing you had just followed the rules," Lily snapped.

"And when we _win_ the House Cup, you can spend your summer wishing you were nicer to me so you could get some of the credit for the win! I'm sorry to say, though, the credit will all go to the Marauders!"

"The who?" Victoria asked.

"My friends and me. We're the Marauders, and we're going to win the House Cup for Gryffindor this year! _And_ we're going to break loads of rules, loose hundreds of points, and still win!"

"Keep telling yourself that," Lily snapped.

"I won't just tell myself that, I'll really do it!"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Yeah! That's right!" Liz paused. "Want to bet?"

"No!"

She grinned. "What, scared to lose? Well, guess what, Lily? You've already lost. The Marauders will win that House Cup. No matter what!"

**A/N: WARNING: There is another very long author's note ahead. I give all who read it muffins. Chocolate chip ones. Yum.**

**Yay! I can now say 'The Marauders', instead of 'Liz and the boys', or 'the five friends', or whatever. Whoo!**

**So what did you think? I know the prank is kind of lame, and it's been done a million (and one) times, but I decided to start out with an easy, traditional prank. If you want to see them do something, just let me know in a review and if I like it, I'll put it in a chapter dedicated to you!**

**Another random fact: Elizabeth is based off of me- I stole my middle name and my brother's to get her and Christopher. And yes, MOOP is a word he made up. I'm not kidding about the definition. Mom **_**really**_** doesn't appreciate it. Christopher, you can stop laughing now!**

**I was totally not planning the fight with Lily, but I actually liked how it turned out. I hope you're equally satisfied. It'll be interesting watching these characters develop- I really can't help what they do! I tried rewriting some chapters but they always came out virtually identical every single time! It's weird. The story gods are compelling me to write it in a specific way- I have no control over this story in the big scheme of things.**

**I know Avery comes before Bennett in the alphabet, but I just forgot about him. I'm not sure if he was a first year with them, so I just made him one. Please let me know if you know.**

**Random test to see if anyone reads my author's notes: if you read this, type 'moo cow heavenly whipped cream sludge' and I will give you a Marauder's acknowledgement next chapter!**

**If you think the Marauders are doing anything too advanced, please let me know. Yes, they're smart, so I will probably have them doing stuff maybe two years above their level, but I'll try not to have them doing anything extravagant until fourth year or so- you know, if I make it that far.**

**I've said it once, I've said it ten billon times: REVIEW, FOR GODRIC'S SAKE! I WILL GIVE YOU COOKIES! MAGICAL ONES! Surely, that's good enough for you?**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**


	8. D is for Divination

**A/N: I'm now working this story completely from scratch- when I was posting the other chapters, I'd already written them, and it was just a copy job. And since it's summer, I'm now procrastinating so much, I should be shot. I've given up on the posting schedule and have decided to just write, then post when done. Make people happy faster! Don't worry, I'll try not to let longer than a week go by past my last post date. But you can reward me by reviewing- I'm getting more and more by the week! YAY!**

**I know I've mostly written from Liz's, Remus', and James' POV, but I'll try to change that. I just tend to go with what works best. I'll really try for a Sirius section soon, since I haven't done him yet.**

**Most of this chapter was written at four in the morning, due to a stupid, irresistible cup of coffee at 9:30 at night. ... So, sorry for any crappy plot construction in this chapter. I did sleep for sixteen hors afterward, though. Remus ain't got nuthin' on this girl!**

**Random weird fact about summer vacation: I never have ANY appetite. Seriously, the only things I ate today was that retarded coffee and a piece of bread (the good Italian kind). And I felt stuffed. Go figure.**

**Oh, and I am also too lazy to look up full moon dates for 1971-1978. Just go with it, please. make my life a little easier. *puppy eyes* Oh, and there is one swearword in here, so you younger readers are warned.**

**Anonymous review replies have been moved to the bottom.**

**I finally figured out how to do the line break thingy! VICTORY DANCE!**

**Disclaimer****: My initials, last I checked, were SER, not JKR. Darn. So, I only own the OCs. And the plot. And two non-reviewer eating guinea pigs. So review if you value your life! *Nutmeg and Pepper squeal hungrily***

* * *

The sun rose too slowly, as it always did. Gradually, Remus felt the change come over him. It was the same as the human-wolf transformation, but in reverse. His brain, his bones, his organs, his skin. He was covered with hundreds of small scratches, but there was an intense pain on his lower right ribcage that told him he'd added yet another scar to his gruesome collection, probably more. Remus lay shivering on the cold floor as his blood pooled around him.

Remus must have passed out, because he was now lying in the hospital wing. He hurt all over. This was no surprise; he had vague memories of his transformation and knew it had been a rough night. His side hurt, as well as his left arm. More things he'd have to hide from his friends. From Elizabeth. Remus tried to sit up but dropped back onto his pillows with a groan. He _hated_ hurting so much, he _hated_ being so tired and sickly, he _hated_ being a werewolf- he just wanted to go to sleep and maybe never wake up. He was so warm... warm like when he and his friends hung out together in the common room by the fire after diner, either doing homework (or not), or playing Gobstones, Wizard's Chess or Exploding Snap. Madam Pomferey, who had been dressing a wound on the boy's arm, smiled gently at him as Remus let out a soft sigh and attempted to roll over.

* * *

Liz woke the next morning before the other girls. She dressed quickly and went to the boys' dorm. She noticed with a pang that Remus still wasn't back. She was about to shake the other Marauders awake when she got an idea. She grinned.

Liz drew in an enormous breath until her lungs were straining with the effort. When she thought she might explode, she bellowed, "HEY BOYS! IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP!" There was a rustling noise and a dull thud as James, who had been sleeping on the edge of his bed, fell on the floor.

Sirius sat up with a yell. "Gah! I didn't do it!" He peered around owlishly. "Liz!" He pulled the sheets over his chest.

"Oh, calm down. You're still dressed. Besides, it's not like I haven't seen you shirtless before." She went over to Peter's motionless form and poked him. "Wake up!"

"Mmmrph," he mumbled. "M'sleepin."

"No, you're not. You just talked to me. Get up. I want to get to breakfast!" Peter rolled over with a groan and put his pillow over his head. Liz yanked it off. He opened his eyes.

"I'm up!" he cried as she reached out to jab him again.

James raised himself up off the floor. "Next time, warn me before you start roaring like a deranged dragon!"

"Well, sorry for wanting to get to the Great Hall in time to claim our victory over Slytherin!"

"Ooh!" James shot off the floor and lunged for his trunk. He began throwing clothes and books out onto the floor. Liz grimaced as a pair of boxers landed on her foot. She shook it off and turned to go. "I'll be in the common room. I've got some stuff to tell you."

"Mm-kay," Sirius said as he rolled off his bed. Liz closed the door behind her as she left.

She flopped in an armchair to wait for her friends to come down. Much to her displeasure, though, Lily and her friends came down first.

"-need to go to the owlry, send a letter to my parents," Lily was saying. She stopped when she saw Liz.

"Hi, Elizabeth," Sarah chirped.

"I go by Liz now." Liz frowned.

Lily sighed. "Really, one minute you don't want to be called Liz, the next, it's the only thing you'll answer to!"

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Liz said.

Victoria tossed her dark tresses over her shoulder, looking like she was twenty- two instead of twelve. "Where's Remus? I didn't see him at all after he ditched you guys at dinner."

"I don't know," Liz replied sourly.

"That Professor Dranseau is really horrible to him, isn't he?" Victoria continued as though Liz hadn't spoken. "It's not fair that he's treated like that."

"Really? Then how come I didn't see you sticking up for him last week?" Liz jumped to her feet. She was so angry, she was shaking.

"Well, I didn't want to get into trouble, did I?" She spoke to Liz as though talking to a simpleton.

"Then you don't really care about Remus!" Liz cried. "If you did, you wouldn't care about getting into trouble, not when your friends are being hurt!"

"Liz, stop picking on Victoria! What was she supposed to do?" Lily snapped. "If you ask me, she did the smart thing. She didn't loose us points, unlike you!"

"So you're saying you wish you didn't yell at Dranseau?" Liz asked quietly.

Lily blinked. "No. Yes. I- I don't know! What right do you have to judge me anyway?"

"I never said I was! But did you never stop and think that maybe there are more important things in life than getting points and winning the House Cup? You stand there, all high and mighty and pretend that you know best, but you don't know about anything that actually matters, like, oh, I don't know, _people_?"

Liz could almost see the steam pouring from Lily's ears as the redhead fought to keep her temper in check. "You're not the one to talk! Who is it that goes around hexing Severus for no reason? _You_! You and your little band of _friends_-"

"At least my friends are real friends," Liz interrupted angrily. Sarah looked confused, but Victoria's eyes narrowed dangerously. Liz didn't really notice, though- she was just too angry with Lily. What was the _deal_ with this girl? Why couldn't she just mind her own business?

"Why can't you just mind your own business?" Lily stamped her foot, echoing Liz's thoughts. Liz fumed.

"Excuse me, but who was it who came up to me and started pestering me? You! So just-" Lily turned on her heel and stormed out the portrait hole. "-go away and leave me alone," Liz finished with a mumble. She heard them talking just outside the hole but tuned them out. She didn't want to deal with them. They were just so... so... ugh!

Ever since she was a little girl, she'd read about friends who had sleepovers and stayed up all night and just had fun. When she came to Hogwarts, she'd been hoping to make at least one girl friend, and to her dismay, she had managed to make enemies of all three Gryffindor girls her age. The guys- the Marauders- were the best friends in the world, but that was the problem: they were guys. She was a girl. She wouldn't be allowed to sleep over at their houses, to spend entire holidays with them. Maybe at this age, her parents wouldn't mind, but was pretty sure that would change as she got older. The really irritating part was that she thought Lily could have been her friend, but that girl was just so stuck up! Liz threw herself into her favorite armchair, kicking her heel moodily against the leg. Thump. Thump. Thump. She glanced hopefully toward the portrait hole in the hopes that Remus might suddenly decide to return. Unfortunately, he did not.

She curled up in her armchair, staring moodily into the cold grey ashes. James said Remus had been acting oddly since last Friday. If she wrote it down, maybe she could-

Liz sat up. She fumbled in her schoolbag for a moment and managed to extract the journal her mother had sent her. Sirius had mentioned writing down ways of getting Snivellus expelled. Well, she now had a better use for it. Liz cracked it open to the first page, pulled out a quill and ink bottle, and began writing.

_Friday, September 8_

_Remus has been acting strangely since last Friday. James said he's been moody and irritable. Remus never approves of violence, but he got into a fistfight with Sirius, snapped at me to shut up, and almost had a row with James over some homework. He had to go to the Hospital Wing yesterday- twice- because he had headaches. The second time was around dinnertime and he hasn't come back yet. I hope he comes back soo. The Marauders and I are all getting really worried. Remus already looked kind of frail to begin with..._

She drew a line and began another entry.

_I've been having the strangest dreams since coming to Hogwarts. There was one, my very first night, where I saw myself, my friends and Lily all die. That one was scary- Lily had to wake me up to get it to stop. Then there was one where I'd been attacked by Black Cough mushrooms and I thought I was dying, where a boy that looked like James was saying how a Voldemort murdered his mum, and he was sitting with an older Remus... It's so frustrating! I can't figure out what they're supposed to mean. I would ask the guys, but they'd think I'm crazy._

Liz pulled the ribbon bookmark into place as the boys came down the stairs, making more noise than a herd of rampaging hippogriffs. "Hiya, Liz," Peter said as Sirius and James took the stairs three at a time. James tripped coming down and practically flew across the room.

"You said you had something to tell us?" James asked as he skidded to a stop in front of Liz's chair. He stood up and brushed himself off nonchalantly, but there was a shadow hidden behind his hazel eyes that was hidden by his ever cheerful attitude. She stuffed the journal away and stood as well, stretching, glad for the distraction.

"Yeah. When I came in last night, Lily was still awake. She tried to chew me out for missing detention- apparently, McGonagall is furious- and she said how it would be all my fault if and when Gryffindor comes in last place for the House Cup..."

Sirius let out a low whistle. "Bet you loved that."

Liz smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "You bet I did. Anyway, I told _her_ that us five Marauders would get loads of detentions, and lose tons of points and still make us win the House Cup."

Liz was met by three blank looks from her friends. She began to worry that they were going to think she was crazy, but a slow, wolfish grin appeared on Sirius' face. "Sounds good to me. And that'll give you the perfect opportunity to get back at Victoria."

James nodded, straightening his glasses. "The fact that we'll be doing it for a good cause is enough for me, but breaking the rules over a bet?" Liz held her breath, waiting for a no. "I'm in." Liz sighed. She really should have known that was coming. They looked at Peter.

He smiled nervously. "I'll do it too," he said. "But-"

"Great! Let's get started!" Sirius said. He bounded to the portrait hole but was jerked back by an impatient yank from James.

"We can get started by getting to the Great Hall to announce our great victory over the Slytherins," he said, as though explaining to a three year old that one and one was two.

"Oh, yeah, good point." Sirius dislodged himself and walked this time to the portrait hole.

When they reached the Great Hall, they had to negotiate around a football huddle of students clustered around a massive puddle of glop in the entrance. Liz realized it was from the bucket trap Peeves had rigged the night before and sent a silent prayer up to heaven that the Marauders were not the ones that had been drenched. She had completely forgotten about it, and judging from the looks on the boys' faces, they were no different. Not wanting to miss a show, the Marauders wormed their way to the front. Instantly, Liz regretted it.

Three girls were standing in the muck, covered from head to toe, almost unrecognizable save for one, whose bright red tresses stood out among the dripping brown coating. Liz wanted to kill Peeves. More than likely, Lily would blame her for this incident. Brilliant. Just brilliant.

"Excuse me, coming through! Pardon me- oh, sorry, Mr. Diggory-" Professor McGonagall and the caretaker, Filch pushed their way through a group of students. Filch's jowls quivered as he looked from the mess in the doorway to the single limp mop in his hand and back to the mess again.

"Miss Evans! What on earth happened here?" McGonagall eyed the mess, clearly not wanting to get any nearer. "Mis Shoots, Miss Clark, are you alright?"

Victoria opened her mouth to answer, but a glob of glop oozed down her forehead and fell with a _plop_ into her piehole. Unfortunately for Liz, it was also at that moment that Victoria spotted the Marauders, who were all trying their hardest to not laugh. Victoria sputtered dramatically for a bit before bursting into tears.

"No," she wailed. "My h-hair is ruined and m-my uniform is filthy and I didn't get any s-sleep last ni-night because of Elizabeth-" she broke off as her big eyes widened in what Liz thought was obviously mock surprise. "There she is! You can ask her yourself!" The crowd started murmuring as they all turned to look at Liz. She could feel her face heating up.

"It wasn't me!" she protested. "It was Peeves! We saw him rigging this last night! We didn't do this!"

"Well, where were you when you failed to show up for your detentions last night?" McGonagall asked, her nostrils flaring.

Liz faltered. How was she going to explain this now, when they'd been counting on proclaiming themselves in front of the whole school, with the Slytherins' ridiculous presence there to bolster them? McGonagall nodded curtly. "I see. Miss Auberey, thirty points-"

The Transfiguration teacher was rudely interrupted by a loud, wet raspberry, followed by the shrieks of some girls as water balloons filed with the same sludge as the bucket dropped out of nowhere, exploding on everything.

"PEEVES!" Professor McGonagall barked, straightening her now-sopping hat. "You drop those balloons at once and come down here!" Bad choice of words. the balloons were promptly dropped- right on the heads of those unfortunate enough to be standing underneath.

Liz spat out a mouthful of disgusting muck. It tasted like a sewer. Trust Peeves to find something even better than their whipped cream to use against the students. A lone dud of a sludge bomb oozed pitifully over the floor, soaking into her shoes. Peeves ignored McGonagall's last order and zoomed away up the staircase, cackling maniacally. McGonagall sighed and vanished the gunk with a single wave of her wand, much to Filch's relief. He stumped away, muttering several choice swear words directed at the poltergeist. Liz grinned- she'd have to repay him for showing up at the right moment. There was a rather annoying trick of Chris' where he'd sneak up behind her, grab her nose and shriek "GOT YOUR CONK!" yes, she could definitely see Peeves using something like that...

Liz snapped out of her reverie as Professor McGonagall bore down on her and her fellow Marauders, closely followed by Lily, Sarah and Victoria, at the very back, who was still sniffing loudly. She shot Liz a baleful glare behind her friends' back. Liz resisted the urge to glare back. It would only cause more problems for her. The guys didn't notice their silent exchange- they were too busy looking at McGonagall, or, in James' case, at Lily. Liz now really had to fight to keep her face straight. So James liked Lily, huh? Yet he had the nerve to tease her about herself and Remus? Very interesting. She would have to use this against him sometime...

"Miss Auberey, I apologize for wrongly accusing you of Peeves' mess, but I cannot condone your failure to show up for detention. You will now serve another, in addition to..." the strict witch had to stop and think about it for a moment. "The one you skipped, and the additional week's worth from Professor Dranseau." McGonagall shook her head. "I really expected more from you, Miss Auberey. Go on in to breakfast." Liz could feel Victoria's haughty gaze boring into her back as the Marauders disappeared into the Great Hall.

"Ha, if McGonagall thinks you have a load of detentions now, wait until she finds out about the Slytherin common room!" James chortled as they took their usual seats. Liz sat next to Sirius, like always, but she felt the absence of Remus to her right was more obvious than a dragon in the Hall. She sighed. Although it had been not even a day, all of them were missing Remus.

"When do you think the Slytherins will show up?" Sirius asked, looking around eagerly. Well, maybe not all of them were missing Remus as much as she'd like to think. James seemed to read her mind and nudged her ankle under the table with his foot, smiling gently. Liz smiled back at him, then cocked her head in the direction of Lily, an eyebrow raised in a silent question. James immediately turned red. Liz's smile widened slightly and she touched a finger to her lips in a silent promise of secrecy. James nodded gratefully and made an almost imperceptible gesture in Sirius' direction. Liz buried her face in her pumpkin juice to hid her grin. So, while it was okay to tease her and Remus, it wasn't okay to tease James? She'd really have to do something about that... once Sirius found out, of course.

As the students really started showing up, the Marauders kept their eyes peeled for any pink or red and gold hair amongst the crowd. Peter suddenly snorted and pointed. One of the Slytherins, a toboggan hat pulled low over his head, hurried up to the staff table and spoke urgently with Professor Dumbledore. All the students turned to look as Dumbledore suddenly stood up.

"It has come to my attention," the headmaster said, "That a group of students- Gryffindors, most likely- have managed to infiltrate the Slytherin common room, color-change everything to red and gold," The students began to snicker. "Drape spiderwebs on the furniture and ceiling-" the snickers grew into a quiet laughter. "color-change the students' hair-"

"What color?" a boy at the Hufflepuff table called, and the Hall burst into laughter.

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Pink for the boys, red and gold for the girls." The laughter grew even louder as the Slytherin boy's face flushed. "And they put something resembling rotten whipped cream in all the shoes. I want to know who did this."

Instantly, the Hall fell silent, not daring to make a sound in case one of the teachers thought it was them. Liz, James, Sirius, and Peter exchanged glances. It was time. But then, Liz got a better idea. She shot the boys a warning glance not to do anything, shaking her head slightly, and they nodded, confusion and annoyance written on their faces.

She stood up. "Professor, the common room wouldn't happen to have been signed by the Marauders, would it?" she asked innocently.

"You know who did this?' Professor Dumbledore said; his eyes seemed to x-ray Liz. She tried not to blink, or do anything that would show she was guilty.

"No," she said, "But I have heard rumors. Some of the older students were talking about a supposed prank this one group called the Marauders was planning. They said something about whipped cream, and the Slytherins, and more pranks over the year, but then they left to go to class. I don't now who they are, sir," she said regretfully.

Sirius, who was between her and the headmaster, was turning red with the effort of not bursting into laughter.

"I see," Dumbledore said, still examining her. Liz got the feeling that he knew it was them, so why wasn't he calling out her bluff? "Well, Miss Auberey, thank you for your information. You may sit down."

The Hall burst into chatter as Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, and the Slytherin left for the common room to restore order. Liz slumped back in her seat. She realized her palms were sweating.

"That was _brilliant_, Liz," James whispered fiercely.

"Keep them guessing until the end of the year, am I right?" Sirius asked. "Be more fun that way."

"Yep," Liz grinned. She went back to her breakfast.

"I thought we were going to say it was us today," Peter mumbled.

"It'll be much better to reveal it was us at the end of the year," James said. "If we pull off a few schoolwide, totally amazing pranks, then at the end of the year, have a grand finale prank completed by the unveiling of the Marauders, it'll be the best prank ever!"

"Maybe not ever," Liz said, but she, too, was grinning.

* * *

The Marauders finished with their breakfast and headed headed outside. It was Saturday, the clouds were white and puffy, there was a slight breeze that rippled the waters of the lake, and the mountains in the distance were snow-capped and beautiful. All in all, Sirius thought, it was a perfect day.

His mood was spoiled some when they sat down under their beech tree and Liz pulled out a leather-bound book.

"Really, Liz? It's Saturday and you're going to waste it reading?" He clutched his chest and began to convulse on the ground.

"Oh, stop it, I'm not reading," Liz said, smacking him. "I'm just trying to figure some stuff out..." she trailed off as she read, tapping the feathery part of her quill against her chin, brow furrowed. It certainly looked like she was reading. Sirius ripped the book out of her hands.

"HEY!" Liz yelled, lunging for him. Sirius found it kind of funny that he could keep her back with one hand while holding her book in the other. He scanned the pages, or rather, the page. Sirius realized it was the journal Liz's mum had sent her, and felt bad for a moment, wondering if she'd written any juicy love confessions to Remus in there. Then he grinned, already plotting how he could embarrass his friends with said juicy love confessions.

But no, it was just her speculations on what was wrong with their absent member. Until...

"Liz?" Sirius looked up, not believing she'd had such awful nightmares. "Why didn't you tell us about this?"

"Tell us about what?" James asked, sitting up.

"It's nothing," Liz said quickly, glaring at Sirius. If looks could kill, he'd be dead.

"Um, yeah, it is, judging by yours and Sirius' reactions," Peter said.

Liz lay back against the tree, glaring at the sky. Sirius bit his lip. "Liz, please? You wrote here that you'd ask us, but we'd think you're crazy? I already knew you were crazy- You like Remus, but not this?" he gestured to himself. In truth, he kind of liked Liz, too, but she liked Remus. He never had a chance, which was irritating, seeing as they thought you had to wait until you were like thirty to date. His friends were weird.

To his relief, he got Liz to laugh. "Alright," she said. She rolled over so she was laying on her stomach. The glimmer of light from Sirius' joke was now gone. She opened her mouth, closed it, thought about it, opened it again, then closed it, probably wondering where to start. "I guess it really started on my birthday," she began hesitantly. She began to tell how her wand had spit out a terrifying skull and snake shape, at which Sirius felt a thrill of fear. He knew that shape- but from where? She told them about her nightmares, reluctantly giving details when the boys pressed, and how the Sorting Hat had warned her of a 'Great Destiny' ahead of her.

"I wrote that stuff down to see if I could figure it out, but then _someone_," she shot a nasty look at Sirius, who stared cooly back. "had to go and search through my private stuff!"

"I'm sorry," Sirius said as sincerely as he could. He wasn't, and he knew Liz knew he wasn't, but she just waved him off.

"It doesn't matter," she muttered.

"Maybe if we could figure out what the dreams meant..." Peter suggested.

James tugged at the grass. "Well, the green light for me and Evans- that was probably Avada Kedavera," he said slowly, "And the fact that we disappeared at the same time probably meant that we died at the same time. The silver with Peter? I dunno, I don't think there are any spells that do that. Maybe he was mugged at knifepoint?"

Liz looked like she wanted to cry. Sirius couldn't blame her. He didn't know how he would feel if he saw his friends die. The future was something he rather thought should stay... in the future... the future!

"Liz!" he yelled suddenly, and they all jumped. "Didn't you say your great- grandmother was that Seer lady?"

"Yeah...?" she said, not seeing where he was going with this. He grabbed her by the shoulders.

"You're a Seer, too! You're seeing the future!" he suddenly let go. "Oh, Merlin..." he whispered. Everybody paled at the implications.

"But- but I can't be a Seer!" Liz protested. "I haven't started spouting out prophecies or anything, have I? They're just dreams!"

"Well, you know what Remus would say if he were here?" James asked, standing up and stretching. he struck a noble pose, with one foot on a gnarled tree root and a finger pointing in the air. "To the library!"

Sirius groaned. Not the damn library! That place was for nerdy people, like the Ravenclaws! Or Remus. Whatever. he reluctantly allowed James to drag them up to the castle, complaining the whole way.

"I thought you hated the library!" Sirius moaned.

"I do, normally, but that's only when it applies to schoolwork. This is actually interesting stuff! Therefore, it is not evil, and it is not nerdy to want to do some research on it."

"ANY research is considered nerdy, you dunce. The library is a place to be avoided!"

"You're just worried you'll turn into a nerd," Liz smirked.

"No, he isn't!" James laughed. "He just doesn't want to become a skinny little stick like Remus!"

Liz frowned. Sirius scowled too. "You're the one to talk," he muttered.

"Hey, I have muscles! I grew up playing Quidditch! I'm an athlete! I'm strong!" James flexed for emphasis.

"Compared to what? A flobberworm?" Liz asked, poking his skinny frame. They continued bantering like this, the insults becoming progressively more offensive, until Liz managed to top them with "Narcissistic, crotchety, foul smelling, and an ego the size of the moon," directed at Sirius.

"Where did you learn all those words?" he demanded.

"I read them! So there! I bet you don't even know what narcissistic means!"

"Sure I do!" Sirius protested. He didn't, of course, but he had a cousin named Narcissa, so it couldn't be _that_ bad, could it? Liz cocked an eyebrow. She seemed to enjoy that expression quite a bit.

"Uh- huh. Mind telling me what it means?" she asked shrewdly. When all she was met with was silence, she rolled her eyes. "That's what I thought. It means self obsessed."

Sirius burst into laughter as they walked through the doors, causing the vulture- like librarian to scowl at them.

"What's so funny?" Peter asked. "She just insulted you."

Sirius struggled to put a damper on the noise. "I- I have a cousin named Narcissa!" he choked. The others snorted.

"All right, we're looking for as much information on Seers as possible," James said. "So we should look under S."

Liz caught his arm. "Or, one of us could look under S, while someone could look under D for Divination, and P for prophecy, and someone could check the actual Divination section," she said.

James nodded sheepishly. "Right."

"I call S!" Sirius said. "You know, S for Sirius?"

"Whatever makes you happy," Liz muttered.

"In that case...P for Peter!" Peter called. He hurried off before James or Liz could object.

"I guess I could check the Ds," Liz volunteered.

"So that leaves me with the Divination section. Seriously, I thought I'd get first pick since this was my idea," James grumbled, heading for the back corner of the library.

Sirius strode down a row of shelves. Sea Dragons. Sea Monsters. Searing Spells. Seasons of Magic. Seers. Ah! There they were. Sirius pulled an armload of books off the shelves and headed for one of the tables in the center of the library. He stopped short when he spotted the Evans girl that James liked, sitting at one of them, alone. Where were her friends?"

"Hi, Evans," Sirius said cheerfully, dropping his books on the table with a satisfying THUNK. Evans jumped.

"What do you want, Black? And why are you here? I was under the impression that you didn't know what a library was!"

"Aww, that's not very nice," Sirius pouted. He was having fun messing with her. "I hang out with Remus and Liz. It's kind of required."

"I know you guys were the ones who messed with the Slytherins," Lily said, glaring at him. "And as soon as I have proof, I'm going to Professor Dumbledore."

"We were just having a bit of fun," Sirius protested.

"A bit of fun? How would you like it if the Slytherins did that to us? Severus is my friend! He woke up with smelly whipped cream in his shoes and pink hair! What if that had been you?"

"Okay, first of all, don't compare me to Snivellus," Sirius said, ignoring Lily's objection at the name. "And secondly, those little gits aren't smart enough to find our common room, so what we did is kind of impossible for them."

"They are too smart!" Lily snapped. "They just aren't show- offs like you and Potter!"

"He likes you," Sirius said, waiting for the blowup. He was rather disappointed, though it wasn't a complete waste. Lily's face turned redder than her hair. She crammed her books into her bag and stormed out, earning herself a glare from the vulture woman.

"What did you say to make Li- Evans so mad?" James asked, plunking down his own armful of books and scrolls.

"Nothing, just that you like her," Sirius said casually. James choked. Sirius cackled, leaning back his chair on two legs. The exchange at breakfast between James and Liz hadn't gone unnoticed, and Sirius had been waiting all morning to drop it on his friend.

Liz decided to show up at that moment, also carrying a teetering stack of books. Sirius helped her set them down, seeing as how James was still busy being embarrassed.

"Don't worry, Jamie, I'm not going to tease you," Sirius laughed, cracking a book open.

"You... aren't?" James said suspiciously.

"Nah, you're my best friend."

"And Remus and I aren't?" Liz asked sourly.

"No, you are, but James is my _best_ best friend. The rules that apply to him don't apply to you," he answered.

"Thanks, Sirius. That makes me feel so special," Liz said sarcastically. Sirius reached over and ruffled her bed head.

"Glad I could do so," he said. Peter showed up then and they began to read, silence falling over them like spell. Sirius yawned. This was soooo boring. He realized he'd read the same sentence several times and forced himself to focus.

_There are two different kinds of Seers, both very rare. The first, better known, and more common of the two is the Oracular Seer. These Seers predict the future with the aid of methods such as palmistry, tea leaves, and crystal balls. They also, on rare occasions, make prophecies, of which they have no rememberence. Many of these prophecies are never fulfilled, but when they are, they are always completely accurate. The last known Oracular Seer was the renowned Cassandra Trelawney._

James had been looking at a star chart when he decided to interrupt. "Liz, you didn't happen to have any dreams last night, did you? Because one of the books said something about full moons being a good time to try to see the future, and this chart says last night was one..."

"No, sorry," Liz said. She sighed and went back to her book. Sirius yawned. It felt like they'd been reading for _hours_.

_The other kind of Seer is very rare, almost unheard of. These Seers have the power to see moments in the future, but only when they're asleep. _

Sirius sat up, a tingle running down his spine. Could he have found the answer?

_Usually occuring during or after a significant emotional event, these dream visions are always accurate, and always come true without fail. _

__Sirius swallowed, praying he was wrong.

_The last known Seer of this type was the great- great- great- grandfather of Cassandra Trelawney, Magnus Trelawney._

* * *

**A/N: Ooh, a cliffie! Kind of. Haha, I'm evil! So, anywhooo, review and tell me what you think!**

**I'm so happy about the 21 reviews! And the line break! VICTORY DANCE AGAIN!**

**Yeah, I kind of stole Victoria's act from Dudley. I hope he's proud. I really, really hate kids like that.**

**I was snorting like a pig when I wrote the bit about the full moon; they were so close to discovering our favorite werewolf's secret! LOL.**

**Before you flame me about big words for a little girl- I knew those words when I was nine! So there!**

**I know some fanfics have Dumbledore rewarding the Marauders for a prank, but that's just dumb. I'm sorry, but unless it was some seriously freaking amazing magic, he'd never do that. Yes, he'd find it funny, but he can't exactly reward students for breaking the rules, can he? The incidents with Harry, Ron and Hermione don't count since they pulled off a bunch of life-saving stunts.**

**Remus will come back next chapter. I might do a bit of a time jump after that, but I'm not really sure. **

**I have a question- I know magical creatures can be your patronuses, but what about animagus forms? Like, you'd have the shape, but not magical properties (IE, if you turn into a phoenix, your tears don't have healing powers). What do you think?**

**I got on Pottemore- Ravenclaw House, yew and dragon heartstring wand, 12 1/2 inches, surprisingly swishy. :) My username's EchoSeeker14653. Friend me if you have your own account!**

**Chapter Nine will be up Sunday, at the latest. Keep up the reviews, they make me work faster because I know people want to read this! You make me feel special. HUGS TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWS! GUENIA PIGS TO THOSE WHO DONT!**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**

* * *

**Anonymous Reviews  
**

**JoeSax- **In the goblet of fire, Molly remarks about the whomping willow and how it was planted after she left. This means molly had left by the year the marauders came to Hogwarts. Otherwise absolutely brilliant.

**Thanks for the info and the compliment. I guess I'll just have our favorite Weasley parents fade into the background until next year, when they'll theoretically be gone. Sorry about the mistake- some Harry Potter expert I am. (the fact that Goblet of Fire is my least favorite book is no excuse.) But I'm glad you enjoyed it :)**

* * *

**Avatarmecha- **Not a very big fan of harry potter,

**I'm sorry you feel that way. You're missing out on something amazing. But hey, you DID bring me up to 20 reviews total, so you're sort of forgiven.**

* * *

**foofooman3- **moo cow heavenly whipped cream sludge. Slimey creatures something like worms or toads. I am a cucumber.

moop, lol

**Umm, I'll think about it. Of corse you'd think moop is funny- YOU made it up! Pleased to meet you, Mr. Cucumber- I'm hungry for a salad, hehe.**

* * *

**JoeSax: **My muffin- moo cow heavenly whipped cream sludge.

**Yup- You get a muffin, as well as Lizaluvsdoggies, Hearts in Strangeness, and foofooman3. MUFFINS TO ALL MY LOYAL FOLLOWERS! LET THEM EAT CAKE!**


	9. Tag With a Tree

**A/N: HOLY CRAP! 30 reviews already? That's over 1/4 of the way to 100! I started jumping up and down and squealing when I saw- got an awful lot of odd looks at the grocery store, but who cares? I got 30 reviews! 30! WHOOO!**

**Anyone watch FullMetalJousting on the History channel and live near Kentucky? Because they're coming to this year's Breyerfest in July! I can't wait to go! foofooman3 and I watch it religiously, and it is AMAZING! Be there if you can!**

**Save me! I'm sitting in the kitchen, watching my mom dance like that one lady from Seinfeld... O_o**

**This may sound obscure to you now, but I promise no love triangle junk. That stuff drives me nuts- I hate it.**

**Have you ever gotten a bottle of dip spit thrown at you? It happened to me once at a school assembly. I was NOT happy :( I'm using the replacement shirt the school gave me right now as a pajama shirt. Just felt like saying that.**

**Oh, and I'm so very sorry about the cookies that i promised reviewers in Chapter Seven. Here you go now! Cookies for everyone! Don't push, Sirius! They're not for you! *Liz hexes me* HEEEEELPPPPP!**

**Disclaimer: I don't even own the laptop I'm typing this on, but that would be nice. I do own a very battered set of Harry Potter books and so many more books that they're spilling off my shelves and onto the floor, making my bedroom complete and utter heaven. **

* * *

Peter stared at the page in Sirius' book. Liz was a Seer? And her dreams would come true? He was going to...die? He didn't want to die! No no no no no...

Liz started to cry, tears rolling silently dow her cheeks. "I don't want you guys to die," she whispered.

Sirius pulled her into a hug. "We'll be fine," he said, but his voice was strained. Liz shook him off and just sat there, staring blankly at the table.

"Maybe the book is wrong, or you're really just dreaming stuff," James said, "Or you're right and you really are crazy."

Liz snorted and wiped her face with her sleeve. Peter felt a bit better, even though the words were for Liz and not him. If James and Sirius thought it was fine, it had to be. They were_ never_ wrong.

"Well," Liz said, trying to build on James' joke, "I am the girl who 'likes' Remus, according to Sirius, who thinks it's a crazy thing to do, so you must be right!"

"You don't like him, then?" Sirius said, perking up. Peter was amazed at how their conversation went from them dying to who likes who. His friends were so odd sometimes.

"I never said I did or didn't," Liz said, glaring at Sirius. "Why do you want to know?"

He put his hands up in surrender. "Just wondering..." Peter grinned. So Remus _and_ Sirius liked Liz? And Liz apparently didn't know? He really did have to wonder, sometimes, why they were always calling him stupid when he was the only one who realized this.

"I think we shouldn't worry about these dreams for now," James said suddenly. "How old did we look in these dreams?" he asked Liz.

She thought about it. "Dunno, you and Lily were maybe twenty something, and the rest of you were in your forties, I think. Why?"

"Then we don't have to worry about it for now. We're eleven, we have the rest of the day all to ourselves, and it's beautiful outside. But," he said, growing serious again, "You really should write down any more dreams that might happen- every detail you remember. Just so we're forewarned. We might be able to change the future if you do."

"But the book said-"

"I don't care what the bloody book said! We'll certainly try!" James said fiercely, looking at the others. They all nodded.

Sirius stood up. "We're the Marauders! We can do anything!"

"Anything!" Peter echoed. He grinned at them. Ten years was a long time away. It wasn't like he'd have to worry about James dying anytime soon.

"What time is it?" Liz suddenly asked.

"Er-" James checked his watch. "We have about half a hour before lunchtime. Why?"

Sirius dropped his head on the table. "We were here _that_ long? No wonder I was bored. That's like, a whole Saturday wasted!"

"Cheer up, we can mess around after lunchtime," Liz said. She stacked her books neatly on the table and stood up as well. "But for now, I want to go visit Remus."

"Oh, yeah, I can't believe I forgot he was sick," James said, stacking his own books. He glanced at Sirius' and Peter's, which were still strewn across the table. "Geez, Pete, are you really going to leave your books like that? It looks like a pigsty!"

"You sound like my mum," Peter grumbled, smarting at the fact that James was making fun of him and not Sirius. Oh, well. If that was what he had to put up with to stay in their group, stay with the Marauders, he'd put up with it. It was worth it. Sirius, of course, just left his books lying everywhere.

They trooped upstairs to the Hospital Wing, managing to avoid the trick step halfway up one flight of stairs. Peter was very proud of himself.

Unfortunately, once they reached the Hospital Wing, they found themselves shut out by the stern matron, Madam Pomferey. Peter had developed an unhealthy fear of her, and Hospital Wings in general, when Liz was sick with the Black Cough mushrooms. She was very strict and didn't like loud noises, even if they were made in an attempt to make Liz feel better. And she'd yelled at him once when he'd accidentally tracked mud in from the greenhouses.

"Is Remus still here?" James asked when the nurse opened the door.

"Yes, he is." She tried to shut the door, but Sirius stuck his foot in it.

"May we see him?" he asked, smiling winningly at her.

"No. Remove your foot, Mr. Black." Madam Pomferey said, frowning at him.

"Why not?" Liz asked. She frowned back.

"Mr. Lupin is not feeling well enough for visitors today," Madam Pomferey said. "Please leave. I must attend to my patients. David Wood somehow managed to give himself a tail and I must find a way to remove it before the Quidditch season starts. Now, if you'll excuse me..." And with that, she kicked Sirius's foot out of the way and shut the door firmly. Peter herd a small click as it was locked.

"Alohamora!" Liz said, pointing her wand at the door. It didn't open. "Any suggesitons?"

"I dunno. Remus is gone, so you're our default smart person," James said, shrugging.

"Default? Excuse me?"

"We need to get in there somehow," Sirius mused. "Let's get down to lunch. It'll look suspicious if we hang around here all day."

Peter shrugged and followed them to the Great Hall. They'd come up with a plan. His friends were just smart like that.

* * *

James was curious, which was always a sign of trouble. He had wanted nothing more than to find out what Remus was keeping from them and they couldn't get in because of that stupid nurse! He wouldn't let a little thing like that stop him, though. He was James Potter of the Marauders! That meant, as Sirius had said, that they could do anything.

Lunch today was grilled cheese, tomato soup, and potato salad. It was delicious, as always, but James barely tasted it. He was too bust thinking up ways to get them into the Hospital Wing, and Liz was too busy shooting his ideas down.

"We could grab some brooms from the broom shed and fly in through the windows," he said.

Liz shook her head. "How would we get in? I don't even think the windows are able to open, so what would you do? Smash one? Madam Pomferey would ear it."

James scowled. Who thought up a dumb thing like windows, anyway? His eyes fell on the cheese Liz was dumping into her soup. "We cold Transfigure ourselves into mice and-"

"Sure we can. We're first years, not seventh. Human Transfiguration is really complex stuff, James. You should know that."

"Hey, I'm the best in our year at Transfiguration. I bet I could become an Animagus if I wanted to!"

"Yeah, maybe once you were out of school," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, maybe we could blow the doors up!" he cried, getting frustrated.

Sirius coughed. "Um, I believe we'd have the same problems there as we would with smashing the windows, mate."

"I don't see you coming up with any ideas," James said defensively. At least he was doing something!

"Actually, I think I do have an idea," Liz said slowly. They looked at her expectantly. "Madam Pomferey wouldn't dare turn us out if we were sick, would she?"

James thought he saw where she was going with this. "So what you're saying is one of us needs to pretend he's sick? Or she," he added hastily as Liz gave him the stink-eye.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure she'll know if we're faking it," Liz said hesitantly. "So one of us will have to let the rest of us hex them."

"Oh..." James was suddenly much less enthusiastic about her plan. He'd seen her spellwork and did not want to be on the business end of her wand. Or Peter's, for that matter, but for completely different reasons. But he didn't trust Sirius not to do something horrible to him just for the fun of it. Quite the conundrum he had, as Liz would say, before mercilessly hexing him into oblivion.

James shuddered at the images his brain was producing. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to volunteer himself for the mission.

"I'll do it," Sirius said immediately. James blinked. That was easy.

"You didn't even wait to hear the rest of my plan," Liz protested.

Sirius pushed his hair away from his face. "Fine. Please enlighten us dumb folk."

Liz snorted. "How eloquent. Anyway, once you leave, you don't shut the door behind you. You get under the invisibility cloak and come into the Hospital Wing with the rest of us and we get to see Remus!" she concluded triumphantly.

Peter nodded along with everything she said. James thought about it. It seemed doable. "I don't have the cloak with me right now," he said.

"So we'll do it after lunch," Liz said, shrugging at him. "_Jinxes for the Jinxed_ has a jelly-legs jinx that would probably get you in. Or maybe Tarantellegra? That one makes you dance uncontrollably. We could drag you up and say you were hexed in the corridor. She'd probably believe that."

"Maybe we ought to think about making Remus our default smart person instead," James pretended to muse, knowing it would irritate her.

He wasn't disappointed. "Really, James? Really?" She scowled at him, her hand hovering dangerously close to her wand pocket. James gulped. He didn't want to be Tarantallegra-ed instead of Sirius. Then her scowl lifted and he realized she'd been bluffing, and he wanted to smack himself. He was so gullible. Or Liz was just good at bluffing. Yeah, that was it. he was _not_ gullible.

They finished lunch with higher spirits than they'd started. Once they'd eaten, they went back to the common room so Liz could retrieve her copy of Jinxes for the Jinxed and James could get his cloak. Then they went back to the Hospital Wing. Unfortunately, this time Peter forgot to jump the trick step and they wasted several minutes trying to pull him out until Liz remembered Wingardium Leviosa.

A few yards away from the Hospital Wing doors, they all ducked behind a tapestry that hid a shortcut to the Astronomy Tower. Liz pulled her book out to look up her spell. "What do you want me to use? Jelly Legs is a bit more complex than Tarantellegra, but there isn't the risk of you kicking one of us."

"How much more complex?" Sirius asked.

Liz flipped to the spell. "Looks like it's about third or fourth year."

"And the other?"

She just looked at him. "Um, hello? Remember how I made Snivellus start dancing last week? I can do it, thank you very much."

"Right," Sirius muttered. "Please do the dancing one- save the fourth year spell for dear Snivellus in case it backfires."

"Good point." She put her book in her bag and pulled out her wand. "You ready?" He nodded.

"Rather you than me," James laughed. He and Peter each grabbed Sirius by the arms and nodded at Liz. "Ready."

* * *

"Tarantellegra," Liz said, pointing her wand at Sirius' legs. He had a brief moment of deja vu, to the first day when Liz had hexed his legs together. Then his legs flew out of control, doing a kind of quickstep to an inaudible song. If James and Peter hadn't been holding him, he'd probably have fallen over.

Liz stepped back to avoid being hit as James and Peter dragged him out from behind the tapestry and in front of the Hospital Wing doors. Liz knocked.

Madam Pomferey cracked open the door and peered out. "I told you, is not-" She broke off when she saw Sirius. Sighing, she pulled her wand out and pointed it at him. "Finite Incantatem." Immediately, he stopped dancing.

"Next time you want to sneak into the Hospital Wing, you might want to think of something a little less obvious," the nurse said, and shut the door in their faces.

Sirius looked at Liz. "Nice going, Liz. This is why you're our default smart person."

She flung her hands in the air. "How was I supposed to know she'd realize what we'd done?"

"Well, you are only just an all-poweful super Seer," James said. Liz swatted him on the arm.

"Shut it, Potter."

"Of course, dear Snivellus, whatever you say." James sighed and ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up even further. "Well, unless our default smart person can come up with a better plan, we'll just have to wait until-" he put on a falsetto voice, mimicking the nurse- "Mr. Lupin gets better." He pretended to flip his hair and flounced away, Peter tagging after him. Sirius and Liz exchanged glances.

"Hey, don't look at me, he was your friend first," Liz said. Sirius had to keep himself from staring at her.

"So? That doesn't make his weirdness my responsibility." Sirius defended.

"You know what they say," Liz said, grinning. "Birds of a feather, and all that."

"Hey!" he protested, but she had already run after the others. Sirius followed, muttering to himself. Girls! You couldn't live with them, they were just too much trouble.

* * *

They made their way onto the grounds, basking in the warm afternoon sunlight. Liz breathed in deeply. She'd finally recovered fully from the mushrooms and was glad to be breathing fresh air again. Sure, the library was great, but she preferred to get her books and take them outside to read. Someplace that wasn't stuffy with the stench of mold and musk.

She spotted the usual clump of students around the Whomping Willow and had a sudden flash of inspiration. "Hey, guys," she said, pointing.

"it's the Whomping Willow game. What about it?" James said. But Sirius' eyes lit up.

"Remus isn't here to keep us from playing," he said slowly. They exchanged excited glances, or, in Peter's case, fearful.

"I don't want to," he pouted.

"Aww, c'mon Pete, it'll be fun," Sirius said. "Or are you just scared?"

"No! I'm not!" the chubby boy protested, the fear written all over his face.

"Chicken!" Liz taunted. It couldn't be _that_ hard- no one had gotten badly hurt and kids had been playing since day one. The worst anyone had gotten were a few bruises, and who cared about those, really?

"I am not!" Peter yelled. "I'll prove it, right now!" And with that, he ran over to the thrashing tree. Liz, Sirius and James hesitated, surprised at Peter's sudden determination, the sprinted after him. Since they were smaller than most of the kids there, they were able to wriggle through the crowd to the front.

"Gud-geon! Gud-geon!" Everyone was screaming. A third- year Ravenclaw boy darted out from the crowd. He moved with lightning speed, jumping and ducking and rolling, avoiding the branches with incredible reflexes. He had almost made it to the trunk when-

WHAM!

A branch the thickness of a small python had swung out of nowhere and caught him in the stomach, sending him flying backwards and into the ring of students. He was caught by some fifth years and set down. The boy, Gudgeon, stood and bowed.

"Hey, I don't think I've seen you here before," a fourth year Hufflefuff girl said. "I'm Mary Abbot- who are you?" After the Marauders had introduced themselves, she said, "That boy, Davey Gudgeon- he's the reigning champ at this game. He's the only one who's gotten to within three feet of the trunk."

"What about you?" James asked curiously. She shrugged.

"I'm okay, I suppose, but nowhere near Davey's level. Do you want to try?"

"Ooh, yes!" Sirius said, but then he looked at Peter slyly. "But Peter here wants to go first, right, Peter?"

"Um-" Peter was cut off by a collective groan as a Gryffindor girl went airborne. Peter ran forward. "Me next!" he yelled.

"A newbie!" A Ravenclaw sixth year jeered. "Let's see it, then!"

Peter squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, then ran forward. He managed to duck under one branch, but while he was still crouched, another limb about the size as a switch swung around and smacked him squarely on the rump. He howled with pain and rolled out of the way. James and Sirius laughed, but Liz winced. It might have been funny in a Three Stooges movie, but that branch looked like it _hurt_.

"Hard luck, kid," the Ravenclaw said, helping Peter to his feet. He turned to Liz. "One of you want to try?"

"I believe it's my turn," Sirius said. He spent a moment making a show of stretching, clearly enjoying the attention, then narrowed his eyes. He darted forward suddenly, jumping over one branch, grabbing another as it swung overhead, using it to bring himself closer. He was about to let go when the branch suddenly shot into reverse, ripping the boy of and sending him flying. He landed with a WHOOF on his back. Liz gasped with everyone else, worried for her friend. To her relief, he stood up, winded and a little dazed, but unhurt. The crowd cheered. Apparently, nobody had thought to actually grab a branch before.

"Way to think outside the box," Mary said, patting Sirius on the back once he'd ambled back over to them.

"Can I go next?" Liz asked eagerly. She didn't care if she got hurt anymore. It couldn't be worse than the double whammy that one summer when she'd fallen off the roof. Could it?

Liz stepped forward, putting herself apart from the crowd but not quite within range of the tree. Then she jumped forward, rolling into a somersault. She rolled to one side as a huge knobby branch crashed into the dirt where her head had been a split second ago. Her mouth went dry. This was insane! Liz's somersault had put her right in the middle of the flailing branches and there was no way for her to stand up without getting her head knocked off. She rolled to one side, then the other, doing her best to avoid the branches. A thin one whipped across her face, leaving a shallow cut on her cheek, temporarily blinding her. As a result, she didn't even see the branch that caught her in the stomach and knocked her into Davey. Her turn was over.

"Nice try, but you only made it halfway," he said, helping her up. He indicated her cut. "You should ask Mary about that- she knows a lot about healing spells, fixed me up often enough that I should know."

"Thanks," she said. James stepped forward as she approached, eyeing the tree.

"Want me to fix that for you?" Mary said, her hand hovering over her wand.

"Yes, please," Liz said gratefully.

"Episky," Mary said, pointing her wand at Liz's face. She could feel the cut close up instantly.

"Thanks," Liz said, turning to watch James. He was still studying the branches.

"Hurry up, I want to go!" A Hufflepuff boy yelled. James ignored him.

"Just gimme a minute," James called back calmly. He began edging around the ring of students, watching the Willow's every move closely. He topped about a quarter of the way around the circle, peering intently at the tree. His legs tensed. Liz studied the Whomping Willow, trying to figure out what James was- there! There was a gap, slightly bigger than the rest, between two of the branches. It was this gap that James was aiming for.

He jumped forward, his reflexes just as good as, if not better than, Davey's. Liz and Sirius watched, wide- eyed, as James slowly, but surely, made his way to the trunk. Peter was jumping up and down like a maniac, excitement shining on his pink face.

"What's his surname again?" Mary asked Liz.

"Potter. Why?"

Mary cupped her hands around her mouth. "Pot-ter! Pot-ter!" The students took up the chant, their cries growing louder and louder the closer James got. The excitement mounted as James made it to within three feet of the trunk.

"He's beaten Gudgeon!" a Ryan Bennett yelled excitely. James made it to two feet. One foot. His fingers were mere inches from the trunk when he looked up, gave a yell, and dove to the side. One of the biggest branches on the whole tree had marked him as a target, and James had to either get out or be killed.

He decided to get out. The crowd screamed madly as James stood up, raising his hands above his head in triumph, drinking in the attention. Davey came over to him.

"Well done, Potter. Looks like I'll have to actually touch that demon tree if I want to claim my title back." He grinned and held his hand out. James took it, grinning back. "I doubt even the Marauders could have done better." James' grin widened. "See you around, then."

"Bye," James said. He beamed at his friends. "Not too bad, huh?"

"Not too bad? James, that was amazing!" Sirius yelled.

"High five!" Liz held her hand out and James smacked it, then Sirius' and Peter's. They soon found themselves swamped by students, all of them trying to congratulate their newest champ. After some time, the Marauders were able to get away, James somewhat reluctantly, and headed back to their beech tree. They all flopped down, except for Peter. He just kind of fell over.

"Okay, Liz said, grinning, "That. Was. Awesome."

"Totally," Sirius said. Bits of grass and leaves were stuck in his hair. Wisely, nobody decided to point this out. "See Liz? Things are much more fun when your boyfriend's gone."

"He's not my-"

"Whatever," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "He likes you, you like him- I'm just saying..." he shrugged, looking at her closely out of the corner of his eye. Liz stuck her tongue out at him.

"We're eleven. How many more times do I need to say it? It's getting old." She sighed. Boys were so stupid sometimes. Yes, she liked Remus, but she didn't want a boyfriend... yet.

"Never gets old for me," James snickered. Liz threw a clump of grass at him. He ducked, grinning at her. He was such a goofball.

That night, Liz burrowed under the covers of her bed happily. Her day had started off rotten, but ended rather well. Lily, Sarah and Victoria were already asleep by the time Liz had gotten back from detention (polishing trophies wasn't nearly as bad as cleaning her room back home, despite what James and Sirius seemed to think) so she didn't have to deal with them. She was upset that Remus was still sick, but Madam Pomferey had brought _her_ back- whatever Remus had, she'd cure him. Hopefully soon, though.

Her dreams were death-free, thank Merlin, and she woke up to what promised to be another beautiful day. She dressed quickly, ignoring Lily's attempts at conversation (more like she was hoping for a chance to annoy Liz again) and hurried to the boys' dorm. it was kind of their routine since the first day. Liz would show up, the guys would fall out of bed, she'd go to the common room to let them get dressed, and they would all go to breakfast together.

That morning, though, they had a surprise waiting for them at their usual seats. Remus was sitting there, dark shadows under his eyes, his hair matted and tangled, but it was Remus. They all yelled with delight when they saw him and caught their last Marauder up in a group hug. "You're back!" James cried happily.

Remus cried too, but in pain. They quickly let go. "Remus? What's wrong?" Liz said worriedly.

"Nothing," he said quickly, sounding hoarser than Liz after her run-in with the mushrooms.

"Remus, you were gone for a day and two nights!" Sirius said exasperatedly. "Madam Pomferey wouldn't let us in to see you! And, to be honest, you look like crap. Please tell us what happened."

"I was sick," he said, not meeting their eyes.

"You look like you were beat up!" Liz hissed, sliding into her seat.

"I- er- tripped. Going up to the- er- Hospital Wing," Remus said defiantly.

"Uh-huh," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "If you think we'll believe that, you're thicker than Peter."

"Hey!"

"Well, I'm just accident prone. Sorry to disappoint you," Remus snapped.

"Hey, chill, Remus, we're just worried about you," James said, frowning.

Remus sighed. "Sorry. I'm just tired." He yawned for emphasis. Liz yawned too, setting off a chain reaction amongst the Marauders. They laughed, and for a moment, it seemed like just another normal day for them.

"Oh, yeah, I just remembered, we've got some stuff to tell you," James said once they'd calmed down.

"What?" Remus asked.

Lz looked around to check for eavesdroppers and whispered, "Not now. Outside, okay?" He nodded, curiosity shining in his bloodshot eyes. Liz blinked- for a moment, she could have sworn his blue eyes had flecks of yellow in them. She shook her head. It was probably just a trick of the light.

They scarfed down their food and bolted as soon as they were done. They were halfway to the doors when Liz looked back and realized Remus wasn't with them. He was still getting up off the bench, his movements stiff and jerky.

She went back over to him with the intent of helping him up, but when she grabbed his arm, he let out a low hiss of pain. Liz swore she could feel a thick bandage beneath his robes. "Sorry," she muttered.

"S'not your fault," Remus sighed, grimacing. Liz shook her head.

"You're lucky I promised to not bug you about whatever you're hiding or you'd be getting quite the earful right now," she said. Remus looked blankly at her and yawned hugely again. Liz yawned too. "St-stop that," she ordered as they caught up with the others.

"Sorry, I'm just tired," he apologized. The fresh breeze that morning seemed to wake him up a bit, though. The rest of the Marauders were already lounging under their tree. Liz helped Remus sit down, then plopped down next to him. "So what do you have to tell me that's so important and secretive that it had to wait for the seclusion of our tree?" Remus asked.

"Well, you know how you were gone the night before last?" James asked, Remus stiffened. He suddenly looked nervous.

"...Yeah?" he said slowly.

"And how we were going to prank the Slytherins?" Remus relaxed as James continued with his delivery. "We decided to go ahead and pull our prank then instead of waiting!" he grinned, waiting for Remus' reaction.

"We meant to tell you, but we kind of... forgot," Liz said. "Sorry."

Remus stared at them. "You... you skipped detention? I can't believe you guys! You must have lost us so many points! McGonagall must have been furious!"

"Eh, we were kind of let of easy," Sirius said, "Seeing as how Peeves dumped a bucket of goop on Evans and her friends and some mysterious group of older students called the Marauders messed with the Slytherin common room."

"What?" Remus' eyes widened.

"It's not that odd when you think about it," Sirius said, teasing Remus. "Peeves is always doing stuff like that, from what I'm told."

"No, not that." Remus waved a hand dismissively. "I mean the bit about the Marauders. I thought you said they messed with the Slytherins... but you went ahead and pranked them-oh."

"Oh," James mimicked. "Yup, we're the Marauders! It was Liz's idea. But she thought it sounded like something you'd say..."

Remus sighed. "I'm pretty sure she was just joking about needing a group name." he looked at her.

"Nope," she said, smiling broadly. "I meant it. I think it's awesome. We're famous now! The whole school thinks we're heroes and they have no idea it's just a bunch of first years. Isn't it great?"

Remus pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why. Just- why."

James laughed. "You need to lighten up, Remus. We'll reveal it's us at the end of the year. Stop worrying!"

"I'm not worrying," Remus said. "I'm just-"

"Worrying," Liz and Sirius said together. He rolled his eyes.

"There's also some other stuff," Liz said hesitantly. "Er-" she looked at James and Sirius for help. It was Peter who spoke up, though.

"Liz is a super-Seer!" he said excitedly.

"Say what now?"

Peter, James and Sirius proceded to tell Remus of their discoveries in the library and Liz's dreams. The whole time, she awkwardly twisted a clump of weeds. She really didn't like having to hear it told all over again. Bad enough having seen it once for herself- even worse to have to tell them, then hear it told again.

When the boys were done with their story, Remus' mouth fell open slightly. "Wow," he said softly. He looked at Liz. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

She shrugged, wishing she could change the subject. "It's not your fault. Don't apologize."

"Well, I'm your friend, so I think that entails me to be sympathetic," Remus said softly.

Liz allowed herself a smile. "Alright then." She was glad Remus didn't think she was weird, or crazy, or dangerous or whatever.

"So, now that you two have finished making eyes at one another, can we _please_ do something fun?" Sirius grumped.

"Oh! I brought my Gobstones set!" James said, bouncing in his seat. "You want to play me, Sirius?"

"No, Gobstones is boring," the tall boy sighed.

"I also brought my Wizard's Chess set," James said. Liz snorted, knowing this would persuade Sirius to play.

"Alright! Alright! We can play Gobstones," Sirius cried.

"I'll take the chess set," Liz offered. "Want to play me, Peter?"

"Nah, I'm not very good. I'll just watch James and Sirius." Peter scooted around so he was sitting perpendicular to them. Liz looked at Remus.

"You up to getting your butt kicked?" She asked, grinning.

Remus sighed resignedly. "Sure. But you know I'll win." They spent the morning playing their various games, Peter mostly watching and applauding loudly whenever somebody won. They headed back up to the castle for lunch, grabbing some food to bring outside for a picnic, and spent the afternoon splashing in the shallows of the lake and tickling the tentacles of the Giant Squid. They reported to the trophy room at nine again to spend another sweaty three hours scrubbing at trophies with Filch breathing down the backs of their necks. It wasn't surprising that they were more than happy to go to bed at the end of the day.

Liz wasn't pleased to find that Lily and the girls were _still_ up talking when she stumbled into their dorm. Didn't girls have _anything_ better to do than yap?

"Oh, hello, Liz," Victoria said, smiling smugly at her. "have fun in detention?"

"Oh, yeah, loads of fun," Liz said sarcastically, dropping onto her bed. Lily shrugged.

"Well, that's what happens when you break the rules," she said.

"I haven't seen the Marauders get into trouble," Sarah said, eyes wide.

"That's because they don't know who they are," Lily said, narrowing her eyes at Liz. Liz shrugged.

"I guess that's because they know how to stay out of the teachers' way," she said, trying not to grin.

"I heard a rumor in the courtyard today," Victoria said, tossing her head. "Ana said that Susannah said that Mark said that Bill said that Ryan said that Nicole said that Millie and her friends are the Marauders."

"What?" Liz said, sitting up. "Millie Mae McLean? That Ravenclaw Charms club popular girl?" Millie was a sixth year and very popular, even amongst the first years.

"Yeah, Millie Mae McLean. And her friends, Anna Stokes and Jessica Poden."

"They're the Marauders?" Liz said, frowning. Although Victoria was a terrible gossip and tended to warp facts to fit her twisted view of reality, her lies always had a kernel of truth in them. The real Marauders would have to look into this. It would _not_ do to have a group of snobby popular girls trying to pass themselves off as them.

Something would have to be done.

As soon as she got some sleep, Liz thought as she yawned, rubbing her sore arm.

* * *

**A/N: Hee hee hee! Interesting twist there, huh? See below for details.**

**I think the story gods' power over me is starting to weaken. :) I'd originally written Chapters Seven and Eight as though Remus stayed in the Hospital Wing the day before and not after, for some reason, and was very happy when I managed to change it. Because I mean, that's just dumb. Random little fun fact for ya.**

**This was a pretty fun chapter to write. I've always wanted to play tag with a tree, hehe. Especially the Whomping Willow- that sounded like it was fun, though I'd probably be horrible at it. I hope I wrote it well- It wasn't too boring, was it?**

**Thank you, Millie-Mae, for reviewing several times, including once through a PM :) and for sending me a link to a full moon chart. Those will be accurate now, I promise. I really liked your suggestion, so next chapter and an OC are named for you! Even if the OC is a snobby popular girl. Oh, and I know McGonagall said Remus would serve his detention on Saturday- just forget that. It was a mistake, and I'm sorry about that.**

**Anyone seen The Gamers: The Dorkness Rising? If you're a D&D geek like me, go and check it out because it is freaking HILARIOUS! (I wrote this while trying to watch it and Star Trek, so I'm sorry if this chapter was lame. This is my even lamer excuse. But at least I enjoyed myself.)**

**I realized I haven't brought Snivellus into the story, aside from being mentioned on the train and in flashbacks, so he'll probably come in next chapter. I'm sorry I've neglected such an important character! *hangs head in shame***

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**

***reading The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien***

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**Anonymous Reviewers:**

**foofooman3:**I got my muffin :) Chocolate chip, YUM

**Look, I know you got your muffin, YOU HELPED ME MAKE THEM! Grr. Leave a REAL review next time, please. Flame me if you must, but not random crap like that.**

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**foofooman3****:** I can't wait for the next chapter and prank. Love how Dumbledore told the entire hall about the Slytherin's common room. lol.

**Thanks for the REAL review. I'm glad you liked that bit. :)**

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**Loyal bubblegum:**This is great but of course I will tell you that when you gave dear Lizzie her journal, you said that her full name was : EGR, when it should probably be: EGA, but don't let me boss you around, you are the author and your fingers probably just slipped. You are amazing and I only didn't review until now because I am way, way, way lazy to do is just brilliant and you make the chapters nice and long:) I can't believe that you only updated yesterday and I don't know why I'm saying this but * takes deep breath* will you please please please please please please with a cherry on top, update soon! I love this and will read it forever!**  
**

**Thanks for pointing that out- I'm not going to fix it, because I'm just lazy, but I'm glad you caught that. I really can't stand short chapters-when you wait forever for an author to update and they only come out with a few hundred words, that makes me sad. I have a limit of 3000 words, minimum, but I usually don't have to work for that. (Sorry if I sound like I'm bragging. I'm just lucky like that. My math isn't the best though, but you can't be great at everything.) Please keep reviewing! They make me want to write more, and give me the drive to finish (hint hint) :D**

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**I sooo get tha: **Let them eat cake... Poor Marie! :(

**Um, ooookaaaaay? Thanks, I guess... But you brought me up to thirty, so muchas gracias, mi amigo!**


	10. Millie Mae Meets her Match

**A/N: Happy Birthday, grandma! Yea! Millie Mae Meets her MAtch**

**Yup, so here's Chapter Ten! It is dedicated to, and named for, the wonderful and talented millie- mae, who gave me the idea for this chapter (AND was my first-ever reviewer!). You're the BEST!**

** I drew my own picture for the story, which will be referenced probably around Christmastime. It's not my best, but I'm pretty happy with it and now have the original taped to my bedroom wall.**

**Mmm, tortellini- It's good for inspiration, any day. NOM NOM NOM.**

**Disclaimer: It turns out, I do own Harry Potter, but I barfed on the papers when I was a baby. Shoot. All credit must now go to Ms. Rowling, creator of the amazing and wonderful group called the Marauders. *drools over Moony* Funny thing- if you'll look closely, you'll see that our favorite werewolf is holding hands with yours truly, hehe. (And a pretty good self-rendering, if I dare say so myself, though I'm not very happy with Remus' hair. Humph.)**

**Okay, enough time wasting. Chapter Ten- enjoy!**

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"Are you _serious_?"

"No, you are."

"Oh, ha ha." Sirius was staring at Liz, bits of egg falling off his fork. "But really? Millie McLean?"

"Millie _Mae_ McLean," Liz corrected. "Unless you want her to get angry."

Sirius shook his head. "Uh, no thank you."

"This is an outrage!" James cried, throwing his fork and knife onto his plate with a clatter. Several students turned to look and he lowered his voice. "We're the Marauders! Not some Silly Millie girl and her followers!"

"Well, I don't know if Victoria was telling the truth or not," Liz said, "So we'll have to make sure first."

Remus yawned. He still looked exhausted, but seemed to be doing much better than the day before. "Let me guess- you're going to come up with some kind of elaborate spy plan so you can follow her around and wait for her to say something?"

James and Sirius looked at each other. "Yup, that sounds about right," James said. "unless you have a better suggestion?"

"Funnily enough, I do."

"...Oh."

"And this is why Liz is only our default smart pers-MMPH!" This last bit was due to the fact that Liz had clapped a hand over Sirius' mouth to prevent him from saying any more.

"Please enlighten us," Liz said, her hand still firmly in place.

"Well, one of us could just go and ask her," Remus said as though it should have been perfectly obvious. Of course, once Liz thought about it, it was.

"Are you crazy?" James asked. "She'll know we're on to her, then!"

"Chill, Jamesie. Remus' plan is much better than yours. _And_ we can still go to classes like normal," Liz said calmly.

"I- you- he- traitor-" James sputtered. He began to choke on a piece of toast. Sirius thumped him on the back.

"We can ask her during break," Remus continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. He pushed a strand of hair out of his face, his sleeve falling back as he did so. Liz gasped.

Remus had been very particular to keep his arms covered yesterday when they'd been playing and cleaning, but either he just forgot or it was an accident- either way, he couldn't hide it from them any more. His arm was covered with loads of tiny lacerations, some of them not so tiny, and a section of his forearm was wrapped in a thick white bandage that was stained with dried blood.

"Remus...?" Liz whispered. She couldn't take her eyes off his arm. "What in the name of Merlin happened to you?"

"Wha-" Remus' eyes snapped to hers, realized where she was looking, and quickly pulled his sleeve down so she couldn't see. "I told you, I tripped," he said defensively.

"Remus?" James asked. He hadn't missed their little exchange. "Seriously, man, what aren't you telling us?"

"I though you promised you wouldn't ask," he said, looking at his lap.

Sirius opened his mouth, but Liz elbowed him. "Normally, we wouldn't," she began, "But it looks like you were attacked with a knife, or by a rabid dog or something."

"Or something," she thought she heard him mutter under his breath. Remus shrugged. "It's fine. They should be healed by the end of the week."

Liz wasn't going to let it go that easily, but she nodded reluctantly. Remus' shoulders relaxed. "We have Transfiguration first thing, right?" He looked at James in confirmation. The tousled- headed boy nodded. Liz forced down a few more bites, then got up. The rest of the Marauders did so as well. Liz looked over at the Ravenclaw table, where Millie Mae McLean, the maybe false Marauder, pushed her long blonde locks back from her face.

* * *

Sirius couldn't sit still through Transfiguration. Sure, he and James both performed the mop to broom spell flawlessly, earning them ten points apiece for Gryffindor, but that was boring stuff. He wanted to do something a little more interesting. Like turning teapots into tortoises. Or even conjuring stuff, though he knew that was waaaaaay beyond his level. He decided to start planning what to do to McLean once they'd gotten proof. He started scribbling on a scrap piece of parchment, then shoved it over to James. James looked it over, then scribbled back.

_You want to tie them up in... spiderwebs? -James_

_Yeah, and hang them from the ceiling in the Great Hall! Wouldn't that be awesome? -Sirius_

_Umm. O_o -James_

_Stop passing notes! You'll get us into trouble! -Liz_

_Nobody asked you to join in, Lizard- Breath! -Sirius_

_Shut. Up. -Liz_

Sirius sighed. No wonder she liked Remus- they were both boring fun-suckers, even though Liz _did_ play the Whomping Willow game. He sat through the class, scribbling down ideas, looking for all the world like a scholarly note- taking boy.

After an eternity, the bell finally rang, releasing them for break. Sirius grinned. Now was the moment of truth.

In the courtyard, they looked around for the distinctive blond tresses that marked their target. James pointed her out by the griffin fountain and they headed over. She and her two pretty friends were surrounded by a small group of students, all listening to them intently.

"So we saved the whipped cream off the pies at dessert for almost a week- let it get a nice stinky smell- and we put globs of the stuff in their shoes!" The listeners laughed, gazing admiringly at the threesome.

This would not do, Sirius thought. This would not do at all. "Excuse me, ladies," he said, sauntering forward, ignoring his friends' hisses to come back. "i wouldn't happen to be in the presence of the renowned Marauders?"

"That's right," Millie said smugly. "I suppose you want an autograph?"

Sirius bristled. Autographs? They were giving out autographs? But he smiled winningly at them. "Yes, please." He smiled broadly. Jessica pulled a photograph out of her bag. I showed the girls smiling coyly at the camera. Bile rose in his throat when he saw it was signed in pink ink. PINK!

The worst part by far, though, was the fancy script along the bottom reading The Marauders. This was sacrilege! He thanked the girls very politely and hurried back over to the REAL Marauders. Their faces screwed up into identical expressions of disgust when they saw the photo.

"Pink? Really?" Liz moaned. "Oh, they are SO dead."

"it's even worse than I thought," James said, shaking his head. "Something must be done, and soon!"

"What, though?" Peter asked, his eyes wide. Sirius slung an arm around the chubby boy's shoulders.

"That, Peter," Remus said, "Is something I'm not sure I want to know."

"Oh, lighten up, Remus," Liz said. "Even you wouldn't stand by and let the name of the Marauders be defiled by those preppy girls, would you?" Her big eyes got even bigger. Sirius was jealous. She never looked at _him_ like that. He sighed, caught Peter looking at him sympathetically, grunted and turned away.

Remus sighed- probably giving in to the influence of those eyes. "Fine," he said, "But nobody gets hurt, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," Sirius said, turning back. "Now come on! We've got to get those girls before their influence spreads any farther!" And, of course, it was right then that the five-minite bell rang.

* * *

Remus couldn't believe his luck. Miss one day of class because of the stupid full moon and you come back to find your friends had formed an elite pranking group with a name and everything. Oh, well. It wasn't like they'd chosen nicknames or anything, he reasoned. That would just be ridiculous.

They sat through their History of Magic class passing notes on what they were going to do with the prank. Sirius spent some time perfecting his Stinksap summoning charm, much to everyone's delight. They became noticeably less enthusiastic when he managed to flood the back row with the glop, stinking up the whole room until Remus managed to vanish it with Scourgify. And, of course, Professor Binns didn't notice a thing. He toddled out of the room at the end of class, muttering to himself about goblin uprisings.

"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if old Binnsey snuffed it soon," Sirius said as they headed down to the Great Hall.

"Sirius," Remus protested. He couldn't believe anyone would be so callous about someone dying. He came close enough himself more often than he'd like to think.

"What? The guy's like, ancient. I'm just stating the obvious." Sirius shrugged. Remus was about to argue, then decided it wan't worth his effort and kept silent.

Liz had pulled out the picture and was studying it with disgust. A gleam game into her eye that reminded Remus of the time Sirius had pushed James into the lake.

"Okay, I know we were originally planing on just our two favorite spells for now," she said, "But I need to go to the kitchens."

"Why?" Peter asked.

"You'll see," Liz replied, smiling impishly.

"Well, if we're exacting our revenge tonight, we should go down there now," James said, checking his watch. "I don't think we'll be able to get down there until after dinner and we need to be in place by then. In fact, we should probably eat in the kitchens so we don't go hungry. If all goes as planned, we'll be in the trophy room to keep Liz company by nine exactly and nobody will be any the wiser."

They changed direction as James spoke, heading down to the basement and the kitchens. Remus caught himself staring at Liz. It was down here that he had first thought he liked her, where they had dodged cats and teachers and discovered one of the school's many secrets. He shook himself. If Liz were to find out that he was a werewolf, she wouldn't want to come near him with a ten-foot broomstick.

Remus realized they'd reached the kitchens when James began to tickle the pear handle. He pulled the portrait open and they went in.

Ikki came bounding over to them. "Miss Elizabeth! Masters Remus, James, Sirius and Peter! Ikki is s Ikki o happy to sees you, wonders if she can be of any help?"

Everyone looked at Liz.

"Yes, please," she said. "We'd like to eat lunch down here, if you don't mind-" Several house- elves seemed to appear at their sides and dragged them by the hands to a small grouping of tables in the back corner of the room. They were seated and immediately served (Chicken salad sandwiches and crisps). Ikki hovered nearby.

"Is there any more you is requiring of Ikki?" Ikki queried. Liz swallowed and nodded.

"Actually, yes, there is. Could you please bring me a selection of your largest knives?" James dropped his sandwich.

"What?" he demanded, picking it back up, very white in the face. "Why in the name of Merlin would you need a _knife_?"

"Don't worry," Liz said, making Remus very worried. "I'm not going to use it on anyone." She checked over her shoulder (because there were so many people to hear them down in the kitchens) and told them her plan. Almost as soon as she finished, four house- elves bearing a silver tray arrayed with knives of unsettling sizes. The elves waited patiently for Liz to make her selection- she finally decided on an enormous boning knife at least the length of Remus' forearm. She held the wicked blade up to the light and examined it closely. "Perfect," she declared, wrapping the knife in several layers of cloths and shoving it into her bag. Remus groaned. Give Liz a knife and bad things would happen. He was certain of it.

* * *

The afternoon passed at a snail's pace. Liz kept herself occupied herself in potions that day by flicking beetle eyes into Snivellus' confusing concoction, eventually causing his cauldron to erupt like a volcano, dousing the greasy boy in potion. Liz had enjoyed a few minutes' worth of entertainment, watching him stumble about the room like a zombie, before Slughorn restored order, gave Snape the antidote, and ordered him sternly to be more careful with the beetle eyes. Snivellus nodded sourly, sending a baleful glare in the Marauders' direction. Liz waggled her fingers at him cheerfully. He scowled at her and fingered his wand, sending a clear threat. Liz smiled back at him, holding up her own as though to inspect it. She knew he was just waiting for the right moment to hex her- she'd just have to be ready when he did.

That night, when the rest of the students were going to dinner, the Marauders were waiting more patintly than a spider waiting for a fly, just outside the Great Hall. They spent dinner shuffling their feet and yawning- it was rather boring under the invisibility cloak.

"One hundred bottles of Butterbeer on the wall, one hundred bottles of Butterbeer," Liz began to sing quietly. "You take one down, pass it around-"

"Ninety-nine bottles of Butterbeer on the wall!" Sirius sang with her.

"Shut up!" James hissed. "Do you want our cover to be blown?"

"I'm _bored_," Sirius complained. He shifted his weight and stamped his feet a few times.

"Well, too bad," James said. "You'll just have to stay bored until our targets show."

"Hmph," Liz muttered, but other than that, she fell silent. Peter sneezed once, breaking the monotony a bit, but not by much.

Then they heard the rumble of footsteps that meant dinner had come to an end. It was a good thing that Millie liked to stay behind for some time after or there was no way their plan would have worked. They stood, hidden by the cloak and a suit of armor, waiting...waiting...there!

"There she is," Sirius growled, pulling out his wand. The others did the same.

"I call Millie," Liz said softly.

"Jessica," James said. "Remus, I think you'd better take Anna- I don't trust Sirius to not hex a pretty girl."

"Hey," Sirius hissed. James shrugged, not a trace of remorse on his face.

"On three then?" Remus asked. They nodded. "One. Two. Three!"

"Petrificus Totalus!" The three whispered together. It was another useful pranking spell that Liz had taught them while they were supposed to be cleaning the trophy room. The three false Marauders stopped short, then fell flat on their faces with a _crunch_. Peter moved to get out from the cloak, but Liz held him back.

"We need to blindfold them first," she whispered, and he nodded eagerly. They stepped forward, wands out in case one of the girls started moving, but none of them so much as twitched. They knew, though, that a person could still see, and hear, while petrified, so they had to do one last thing before leaving the restrictions of the cloak. And even then, they'd have to work in silence.

James and Sirius turned over Millie, whose eyes were moving around crazily, trying to figure out what happened. liz cast the Spiderweb charm over the girl's eyes so she couldn't see. They repeated the procedure with Anna and Jessica, both of them clearly freaking out. Liz suppressed a snort. Some 'Marauders' they'd turned out to be.

"Wingardium Leviosa," the three whispered, and the three stiff bodies lifted off the ground.

"Check if anyone's still inside," Remus whispered, and Sirius nodded. He snuck to the doors and peeked in. He turned around and gave them the thumbs-up. They pushed the girls into the Great Hall, where they dumped them unceremoniously on the floor. They then set about constructing huge cocoons of spiderwebs in the left hand corner facing the doors. They then levitated the girls up into the cocoons, making sure that their heads were sticking out. Then it was Sirius' turn.

Working together, Remus and James levitated Sirius up to the first cocoon, which he began to fill with Stinksap. He did the same to the other two, cackling madly the entire time.

While they were busy doing that, Liz and Peter set to work signing the wall with the same glowing letters James had used in the Slytherin common room: The REAL Marauders would like our title back! Liz impaled the photograph on the knife, then jabbed it into the wall right beneath the letters. The blade stuck, quivering, in a gap between two blocks.

The boys let Sirius down and they stepped back to admire their handiwork.

"Well done, Marauders," James said, holding his hand out. Everyone high-fived one another. "That should teach any posers a lesson! Now let's get up to the trophy room. Liz's detention ain't gonna do itself, you know."

Liz laughed as she ran out of the Great Hall with her friends. Nobody messed with the Marauders. Nobody!

They reached the trophy room on time, albeit a little out of breath. Filch's eyes narrowed when he saw them approaching. "Tonight's your last night in here," he said, indicating the room. "Tomorrow, you'll be scrubbing the Hospital Wing. Run along, boys. Your detentions are already over." It seemed to cause Filch pain to say such words.

James looked at Liz. "Sorry," he said.

"It's fine." Liz grinned at him. It was just what they wanted- let Filch see the boys so they had 'proof' that they weren't responsible for the mess in the Great Hall right now. "See you tomorrow."

Liz watched her friends go, her face falling with sadness, when on the inside, she was roaring with silent laughter.

* * *

James burst into laughter as son as they were out of Filch's earshot. "That," he gasped, "Was awesome."

"You guys were pretty amazing," Peter agreed. James nodded.

Of course, Remus the fun-sucker had to say something. "Don't sell yourself short, Peter. You did pretty well yourself."

"Are you kidding? He let the girl do all the work," Sirius snorted.

James shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked. "Well, you can't say it wasn't fun, because it _was_!"

"Can you imagine the teachers' faces when they get those fakers down tomorrow?" Sirius said gleefully. "I don' fancy having to spend the night in a Stinksap cocoon."

"Nice work with the Stinksap spell, by the way," James said. He was rather jealous- he still had yet to master a spell that belonged in any decent pranksters' repertoire.

"Thanks. And thank you for not dropping me," Sirius said. "You too, Remus."

"Er, you're welcome? Hexproof." This last bit was said to the Fat Lady, who swung forward to admit them into their common room. James collapsed on one of the armchairs. Home Sweet Home Away from Home.

"What do you want to do?" Sirius asked, dropping into the chair next to James.

"We could get the essays on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making." Remus was met with stunned silence. James couldn't believe that at a time like this, Remus would want to do homework! It just wasn't right. Remus shrugged resignedly. "All right then, I guess it's just me."

As Remus pulled out his quill and ink, James got a sudden idea. Pointing his wand at Remus' stuff he muttered, "Wingardium Leviosa."

Remus yelled as his supplies went soaring out of his reach. "That's it! I'm tired and I'm going to bed now. Just throw my stuff wherever, why don't you?" He flung his bag at James and stormed upstairs.

James looked at Sirius, his mouth open. "What is wrong with him? I thought he was better now!"

"Maybe he's just tired," Sirius said. "I mean, did you notice how dark the circles under his eyes are?"

James grabbed his and Remus' bags. "I'm going to go try to talk to him," he said.

"Good luck, mate. You'll need it."

James rolled his eyes at his friends and hurried after Remus. He stopped outside the door, but didn't hear anything, so of course he assumed it was safe to go inside.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Remus was standing in front of the full length mirror, staring at his bare torso as he traced a pattern of thick white lines on his chest- wait- Were those... Scars? Remus saw James as he came in and yelled, scaring James and causing him to yell too, which made Remus yell louder. The smaller boy lunged for his shirt, which was hanging on the chair at the desk, and pulled it on, but not before James saw a large scar on Remus' shoulder. It was... well, it looked... odd, like it was very old, yet had only healed a few days ago, as it was an angry red color. And it was made up of welts, arranged in the shape of a bite mark. It was so strange...

Remus' eyes were wide. "You- you saw- I- me-"

"Remus, calm down!" James yelled. "I'm sorry I scared you, okay? You yelled and startled me, is all."

Remus clutched his scarred shoulder. James remembered other things, too- There had been several bandages on Remus' arms and back, some of them covering what looked to be very large cuts. No staircase could have done that amount of damage. "I was- I was just-'

"Hey, calm down," James said quietly. "I'm not mad, alright? I'm really sorry. I should have knocked."

Remus was breathing heavily, his painfully thin chest heaving. James knew he couldn't ask because of Liz's stupid promise, but he was more determined than ever to ind out what Remus was hiding. Remus looked like he expected to be hit, but all James wanted to do was give him a hug. Remus let out a long breath and retrieved his pajamas, yanking the curtains on his bed firmly shut to change.

James decided it would be best to leave. As he turned to the door, though, Remus' voice came drifting across the room. "Please don't tell the others," he said.

"I won't. I promise," James said. But he crossed his fingers. This was serious stuff- Remus needed help, and unless they could figure out what was gong on, they'd need every bit of information they could get their hands on. And that meant James would have to defy Rems' wishes.

He went back down to the common room to tell the others what he'd seen.

* * *

Liz got in late from detention that night, but woke early the next morning, as always. After she'd dressed and went to the boys' room for the usual wake-up call, she was startled to find that James was already awake and waiting for her.

"I've got to tell you something," he whispered, patting the bed next to him. Liz sat, wondering what could be so important that the others couldn't hear. "I told the guys last night, but you came in really late, so I decided to tell you today." He explained how he'd seen Remus' scars, and the weird mark on his shoulder, and Remus' promise of secrecy (Liz frowned at that, but when James told her why he'd decided to break said promise, she could forgive him). When he was done, he waited for Liz to speak.

"It's certainly very odd," Liz mused aloud. "I mean, yes, he has some weird scars-"

"A _lot_ of weird scars," James corrected.

"A lot of weird scars," she conceded, "But I don't understand why he'd hide them. At first, maybe, but he should know you guys well enough by now to realize you wouldn't tease him about it."

"Liz, you have no idea what I mean by lots of weird scars. Turn around." Liz frowned but did as he said. He placed a finger on her back and began to trace a pattern of random, jagged lines. Liz shivered.

"He has that many?" She whispered.

"Yeah. There are even more on his chest, and probably other places, too," James said. His finger moved to her left shoulder and traced a semicircle, so large that it covered part of her arm and went almost all the way to her spine. "That's how big that bite mark is." Liz's mouth fell open. She twisted around to look at James.

"I had no idea..."

"If it makes you feel any better, neither did we, and we shared a dorm with him. But why?" James got up and began pacing. "If he thinks we'd tease him because of the scars, he's just plain stupid, and we all know Remus is anything but!"

"Look, I don't know, but let's wait a while- maybe this weekend? -and see if we can piece together some stuff."

"Sounds as good as anything, to me," James said. "You'd probably better get that obnoxious wake-up routine going, or Remus'll get suspicious."

"Okay," Liz said. She retreated to the middle of the room while James took off his glasses and dived back into bed. Within moments, you could almost believe that he'd been sleeping peacefully the whole time.

Liz filled her lungs with air. "WAKEY WAKEY! IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP!" It was almost like that Friday morning all over again. James fell off the bed with a thud, and Sirius and Remus woke up yelling. Peter, of course, seemed to be snoring peacefully, but his snores stuttered to a halt as Liz stomped over to him. His eyes opened immediately.

"I'm up!" he cried as she reached out to poke him in the ribs.

"See you guys in the common room," Liz said, grinning. She skipped out, the picture of happiness, but she slowed to a walk once she was in the common room. Sighing, she sat down in the same armchair as last time and pulled out her journal. After dating it, she began to write.

_I was in detention last night (again) so James told me this morning something new he found out about Remus. He apparently walked into the dorm when Remus was looking at his reflection or something, but he had his shirt off- stop laughing, Sirius- and it turns out that his entire upper body, and maybe more, is completely covered in these thick scars. Ad there's a big semicircle bite thing- aw, forget that, I'll just draw it..._

Liz drew a sloppy sketch of a human body and drew a dotted line to show where Remus' scar was. A tear dripped down her nose and onto the page, blotting the person's leg. Why couldn't Remus just tell them what was wrong?

_Anyway, when James saw Remus, he totally freaked. Remus, I mean, not James. James said Remus was acting like he expected James to attack him or something. We're going to try and check the library first chance we get without Remus. I wish we knew what was hurting him- we could help, if he would just let us._

Liz thought about writing down their adventure in the Great Hall, but that paled in comparison to the importance of this mystery. So, she packed her stuff back up and waited for the boys to come. She kicked her heels against the leg of the chair. Lily and the girls passed, but all that happened between them was a polite nod from Lily. Liz was grateful for that- she wan't in the mood to get into any fights now anyway.

The Marauders were finally able to go down to the Great Hall, where they found the entrance was blocked yet again. Peeves was floating above the heads of the students, blowing raspberries and throwing the occasional stink pellet. When he spotted them, he waggled his curly-toed feet and burst into song.

"_Loony loopy Lupin! Loony loopy Lupin! Loony loopy Lupin!_" he cackled, eyes narrowed at them. Some of the students giggled. Remus turned red and tried to hide behind James.

_He knows_, Liz realized. Her eyes narrowed as Peeves' smile grew. He flew over them, pelting them with stink pellets as he went, and zoomed away once more. Liz pulled her robes up over her nose to block the spell.

After an eternity, Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Slughorn appeared at the entrance to the Great Hall. Dumbledore raised his hands and the crowd fell silent. "Misses McLean, Stokes and Poden are fine. They are just a little shocked at what has happened to them. They confessed that they are not the actual Marauders-" A murmur of outrage swept through the crowd- "and were in fact, ambushed by the real ones. They seem to believe that these Marauders are very powerful, so I would advise anyone with information on them to please speak up." His gaze swept through the crowd and landed on Liz. She suppressed the urge to gasp. Dumbledore was seriously scary like that. A twinkle of amusement flashed in his eyes, then he was looking to Professor McGonagall. "Professor McGonagall, I am leaving you in charge of the cleanup in the Great Hall. As for the students, you will have breakfast in your common room. I expect it will be a pleasant surprise for those students who like to sleep in."

The students, who were all very excited with the prospect of eating in their common rooms, and with the revelation that the Marauders were not, in fact, McLean and her group, hurried back to their respective hangouts.

James turned to the Marauders. "Looks like Millie Mae has finally met her match!" he said gleefully. "Marauders: 2, Hogwarts: 0!"

* * *

**A/N: Do you know what I mean when I say that I love to read these romance type- thingies where it's a bunch of sweet awkward moments and whatnot, then they FINALLY admit they like one another, then FINALLY have that all- special first kiss, then the excitement just goes downhill from there? Like, you're all nostalgic and wishing it would come back? It gets me every time. That epilogue in Harry Potter? It's kind of the same thing. I loved and hated it at the same time.**

**Please pardon the rant- I'm just saying, in a very roundabout fashion, that Remus and I- I mean, Liz- won't be getting together until like fifth year probably. Seeing your favorite characters grow up and settle down is just depressing. *Sighs***

**Thanks to some persuading, it looks like there might be some love triangle stuff, but not for a while. Who knows?**

**I've finally figured out what's going to happen when, werewolf/animagus wise. They'll find out about Remus at the _very_ end of the first year, spend second, third and fourth working on the animagus solution and transformation, and master it in the beginning of year five. (It's plausible- in HP:PoA, Prof. Lupin says it took them 'the better part of three years' and 'in fifth year, they managed it'.) So it's all good. I'm just impatient. VIVE LA MARAUDERS!**

**Well, you've read it, now review it! Or risk facing the wrath of Nutmeg and Pepper. So REVIEW.**

**Oh, and send me prank ideas! I need them! Need them more than air (in order to write this)! PLEASE! *gets on hands and knees to grovel* I WILL GIVE YOU MORE MUFFINS!**

**I think it's kind of cool that Liz is turning into a bully like James and Sirius- it proves that she has some pretty big flaws. Should be interesting to see what happens...**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**

***reading _The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers_ by J.R.R. Tolkien***

* * *

**Anonymous Reviewers:**

**Rocknroll chick: (who is, by the way, my new editor) **I think Sirius should kiss Liz later on when remus is in the

Hospital due to one of his changes, and then have him walk in open them. It would cause a little drama that is much needed. You could then have Remus and Liz get together. I otherwise the story is AMAZING.

**Oh, God! Grr, I hate love triangles with a passion, but maybe I will. Before Liz hooks up with anyone, though- I mean, how hard is it to stay faithful? GRRRR! *pulls hair out* I despise girls like that.**


	11. The Library is USELESS!

**A/N: Oh. My. GOD! I can't believe I have almost 40 reviews! Seeing as how I'm a newbie author and this is my first fanfiction, I was only hoping for maybe ten reviews at the best and would have probably just ended up writing the story in my mind, but never put it to paper/computer. All you guys who reviewed, I LOVE YOU, and you are the GREATEST! A huge Marauders bear hug to everyone.**

**I recently started a deviantArt account, also under the name of Dndchk, and have a few pictures of our little group up there. Go check it out if you want to see what Liz looks like (and the others, but you already know what they look like. I just felt like putting them in there anyway.)**

**This chapter is mostly developing some relationships. Sorry if I bore anyone.**

**To show time jumps without any POV changes in my story, I'll use xxx in the center of the page.**

**Anyway, keep those reviews coming! They're what makes me want to bust out a new chapter every day! And now, without further ado, Chapter Eleven!**

* * *

The rest of September seemed to fly by. James and Liz were patient all that time, waiting for an opportunity to go to the library without Remus which never came. The day after James had seen him, Remus had become withdrawn, speaking only when spoken to, and answering with as few words as possible. As time went on, though, he slowly began to revert back to his normal self.

Late in September, there was much cause for excitement among the first years- particularly for James- when a notice on flying lessons, starting in October, appeared on the bulletin.

"Flying lessons? YES!" He yelled, jumping into the air and breaking into a touchdown dance. He stopped when he noticed the odd looks he was getting from the others. "What? I've been looking forward to this for ever!"

"Isn't that what you said about coming to Hogwarts?" Liz asked. "And showing off your 'mad skills' in Transfiguration?"

"Not to mention every other thing he was excited for," Remus put in drily, not looking up from his spot on the hearth rug. He was busy making his way through an Ancient Runes textbook, which seemed to amuse Sirius greatly.

"Whatcha readin' there, Remy?" He asked, throwing himself down next to Remus.

"Shortening Elizabeth to Liz wasn't bad, but call me Remy one more time and I'll hex you," Remus said, flipping to the glossary to check something.

"That's a weird name for a book," Sirius said. He caught Liz's eye and grinned. She rolled her eyes. Sirius had found it impossible to leave reading people alone, something that really annoyed her. She found, though, that if she just tuned him out and said 'Uh-huh' and 'hmm' occasionally, he would eventually go away. Remus, on the other hand, had yet to learn this trick.

"Aww, come on, Remy, won't you just tell me?" Sirius' eyes widened as Remus pulled out his wand. Although Remus found it nearly impossible to learn in their Defense classes, Liz had taken it upon herself to tutor Remus, and he had turned out to be very adept at the class- Something Sirius knew, as he liked to call out 'suggestions' to help with spells.

"Now, what were you saying?" Remus asked pleasantly.

"Er- nothing?"

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Remus put his wand away and went back to his book. Sirius stood and went back to James, Liz and Peter, who were still standing by the board.

"What's up with Remus?" Peter asked quietly as they say sat at one of the tables to do their homework.

"I don't know," Liz hissed when they all looked at her. "Why would I?" She had a feeling she knew why they were looking at her, but wasn't about to say anything like... that.

"It's odd," James said slowly, opening his Transfiguration book, "Remus is such the pacifist all the time, but now he's being cranky. He's never threatened to jinx one of us before, has he?"

"Not as far as I can remember," Sirius said.

Liz snorted. "Seeing as how you never remember to turn your homework in, that's not saying much."

"Well, why should I? I already know the answers."

"You're going to be a bad influence on me," James said, and they laughed. James' eyes widened suddenly, looking at something behind Liz. She twisted in her seat to see- Lily?

"Excuse me," the redhead said, looking awkwardly at the group. "I was wondering if you could spare Liz for a little bit?"

"Why?" Liz asked suspiciously.

"Well, I need to go to the library, and was wondering if you wanted to come with me," Lily said. "Victoria's trying to teach Sarah how to use makeup, which I can't stand, and..." She trailed off. "Unless you're busy planning another prank?"

"No," Liz said. "It's just homework. I can get it done later." She got the odd sense that Lily wanted to talk to her- and Liz just wanted an excuse to not do her Potions essay.

The two girls walked out of the common room. Liz glanced behind her as they passed through the portrait hole, looking back at her friends. James shrugged at her, in an obvious 'who knows?' gesture.

The silence between the girls was awkward, to say the least. Despite their sharing a room, Liz had never bothered to get to know the others. She'd had the boys, and that was enough. Besides, she despised Victoria, and thought Sarah was a bit dim. She really didn't know what to make of Lily, though. The redhead had snapped at her on the train, comforted her after her nightmare, and fought with Liz about breaking the rules and tormenting Snivellus. At times, Liz thought Lily really worried about her, but the next moment, she was yelling about House Cups and whatnot. It was just weird.

Finally, Lily spoke. "Liz, I know we got of on the wrong foot, but I want to make it up to you. I am still upset about you pulling those pranks and hurting Sev, but I never really gave you a chance in the first place. And I wanted to say- I'm sorry for nagging you. I just want Gryffindor to win so badly, and-"

Liz cut her off. "Lily, shut up for a sec and let me talk, please." Lily stopped what promised to be a long ramble and closed her mouth. Liz had been listening to the opening of the speech and could hear the sincerity of Lily's words. Maybe Lily wan't so bad after all. It took a brave person to apologize for something that wasn't therir fault. Liz felt a flash of guilt as she realized what had happened to really cause them to be enemies. "I guess, if anyone's to blame for our relationship, it's me. I just kept pushing you away when you tried to be nice. I judged you based only on what happened on the train.

"It was really brave of you to be the one to offer to make peace. I guess that just makes you the better person." Liz allowed herself a small smile. "But then again, considering who I hang out with, that's not really surprising." They laughed, and Liz thought it was a great feeling to be laughing about something with another girl her age. She held her hand out. "I don't know if we can say 'friends' just yet, but we can try. Casual acquaintances for now?"

Lily smiled. "I hope we can become friends someday," she said. The girls shook on it.

"You know, with the boys, we have to spit on our hands before we shake," Liz said. Lily quickly pulled her hand away. Liz laughed. "Kidding," she said. "Even I have my limits."

Lily swatted her on the arm. "Prat," she said, but she was smiling. "So, if we're going to become friends, I guess we should know some stuff about each other?"

Liz shrugged. She didn't really know what to say to that. With the guys, you didn't sit around and ask questions in a methodical approach. If someone happened to wonder something about somebody else, they just asked. "Er- sure?" she said uncertainly.

"What's your favorite color?" Lily asked. Liz wondered randomly if there was a list Lily was working from.

"Green. Like the color of the Forbidden Forest on a cloudy day."

"I like sky blue. What about your favorite animal?"

"Probably a toss-up between wolves and falcons. What about you?" Liz was starting to get the hang of this.

"Horses. When's your birthday?"

"August 25."

Lily's eyes widened. "Wow. You're really young, aren't you?"

Liz shrugged. It had always been a sore spot for her. "I guess. I almost didn't make the Hogwarts cutoff date."

They continued like this all the way up to the library, Lily asking questions, Liz answering, then finally working up the nerve to do so. She found out that Lily was afraid of the dark, and Liz confessed she had been scared of heights ever since her fall off the roof. Lily liked to draw in her free time. Liz liked to do that too, but preferred reading to anything else. Both of them liked Italian food and hated asparagus. By the time they reached their destination, Liz felt like she'd known Lily, the real Lily, ever since the train.

"So what did you need me for in here?" Liz asked, looking around. "Or did you just need an excuse to get me out and talk to me?"

"I just wanted to talk to you, but I am doing some research of my own," Lily said. "I came across this one term while reading and asked Professor McGoagall about it."

"What was it?" Liz asked.

"Animagi. They're wizards that can-"

"Transform into animals at will. My mum has a friend who's working on becoming one." Liz grinned. "She turns into a turtle. We think."

"Really? Lily said, raising her eyebrows. "That's cool."

"What did you need my help with, though?" Liz said.

"Oh, I didn't, but if you wanted to help..." Lily trailed off, looking hopeful.

Liz shook her head. "Sorry, Lily, I need to get ba-" Liz suddenly realized that she was in the library _without Remus_. It was perfect. "Actually, I'll stay, but there's some stuff I need to do myself. Sorry."

Lily shrugged. "That's alright. But we can still sit together, can't we?" Liz nodded. Lily pointed. "That table there, then?"

"Sounds good. See you." Liz set off down the shelves, searching for anything on illnesses or diseases. Liz had no idea what could have caused the scars on Remus, but she could try to find out what Remus had been sick with last time. The two might be connected.

After Liz had a good selection of books to look through, she brought them over to the aforementioned table, where Lily was already deep into her research. Liz cracked open _The Healer's Handbook _and began to read.

At nine o'clock, Madam Pince came over to chase them out with her feather duster. lily and Liz gathered their books and fled. They ran back to the common room, slowed a bit because of their books.

"Hinkypunk," Lily said when they reached Gryffindor Tower. The first thing Liz noticed when they climbed through the portrait hole was that Remus seemed to have gone to bed. She smiled. Perfect- now she and the rest of the Marauders could look through the books without having to worry about him.

"Hey, Liz," James called. He spotted Lily and turned pink. "Hi, L-Evans."

"Hello, Potter. Well," Lily said, turning to Liz, "It was nice getting to hang out with you, Liz."

"You too," Liz said, and was surprised to find that she meant it. "See you in a bit."

"See you." Lily disappeared up the stairs to the girls' dorm. As soon as she was gone, the boys began to talk all at once.

"What did Lily want?"

"Where did you go?"

"Did you get into another fight?"

"Are you two friends now?"

"Did you find out anything about Remus?"

"Why are there feathers in your hair?"

Liz held up her hands, stalling the flood of questions. "She just wanted to talk to me. We went to the library, like she said, no, we did not have another fight, I think we're friends now, I found some books to hep us with Remus, and the feathers are because Madam Pince chased us out."

"Oh. Okay, then." Sirius tilted his chair back on two legs. "Did you find anything out, though?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "No, I told you. I got a pretty big selection of books here, though. I figure that we can each take one and write down the possibilities, then compare notes later. These are some of the best books on medicine in the world. Whatever Remus has, it'll be in here."

They stayed up past midnight, reading their respective books, but came up empty-handed, much to everyone's frustration.

"This is ridiculous," Liz complained, throwing one book down and reaching for another. "We're trying to find out what Remus' illness is, when we're not even sure if his being cranky was a symptom or n-" Her eyes widened. "Guys!"

"What is it?" Peter mumbled into the table. He had fallen asleep sometime around eleven, his head resting on his book.

"When Remus was sick, he was really grumpy and snapped a lot, right?"

"So...?" Sirius rolled his eyes. "We already know this."

"Well, remember what happened earlier, just before I left?"

James gasped. "He threatened to hex Sirius! And remember earlier? At lunch?"

"The soup!" Peter said, the memory passing between them. Peter had attempted to pass a rather heavy soup tureen to Remus, but had spilled some on Remus' lap. The soup could have been vanished in an instant, but Remus had yelled at Peter for several minutes, not caring that the entire school was staring. Finally, Professor McGonagall had had to come over and lead Remus out. He had showed up late for their next class, looking considerably more cheerful, and apologized to Peter immediately. Peter had stayed out of Remus' way for the rest of the day, however, and Liz couldn't blame him. An angry Remus was terrifying.

"Do you reckon he'll get sick again soon?" Liz said, pulling her journal out.

"Maybe," Sirius said, looking thoughtful. They dug back into their research with renewed vigor, but at two a.m, they were forced to call it off due to exhaustion.

"I just don't get it," Liz said to herself as she put the books in her bag. "The only thing I can think of is PMS, but that's kind of impossible..."

"What's PMS?" James said curiously. Liz's face felt like it was on fire. She hadn't meant for them to overhear that!

"Nothing," she mumbled.

xxx

The next week, at breakfast, Remus gave them some startling news. "My mum owled me last week- she's really sick. I'll be going home tonight to see her."

"Oh, Remus, I'm so sorry," Liz said. Maybe that was why he'd been so grumpy recently. She'd probably be mad and upset if it was her mother.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" James asked.

Remus shrugged. "I just didn't want to tak about it," he mumbled.

Sirius patted him on the back. "It'll be okay, Remus. While you're there, could you see if you could give my mum that illness? I'm kidding!" he cried hastily as Remus turned white. "I hope she gets better, though."

"Thanks," Remus said.

"When will you be back?" Peter asked. Remus hesitated.

"I- I'm not really sure. Maybe the day after tomorrow?" he said uncertainly.

"Well, tell your mum hi from us," Liz said.

xxx

Remus left to go home before dinner. They all hugged him (Peter cried a little), and watched as he headed down the corridor. The remaining Marauders sat in their favorite armchairs, Liz sprawled on the hearth rug. James and Sirius decided to make an Exploding Snap card house, Peter watching them with bright eyes, cheering whenever they successfully placed each card.

Liz busied herself making a mess. Colored and regular pencils lay scattered about next to her as she drew the Marauders, arm in arm, standing under their beach tree. Since she had no intention of showing the picture to the boys, she drew herself holding hands with Remus. When she finished, she threw the paper into the fire, lest Sirius get his hands on it.

"Um, guys?" Sirius said.

"Yeah?" Liz said, watching the fire eat a hole in the paper.

"Remus didn't bring a bag with him when he left."

There was a silence. "Maybe he didn't need one because he was going home?" Peter suggested.

Sirius shook his head. "No, he would have at least brought his books so he wouldn't fall behind."

"He could have just forgotten," James said as he placed another card on the enormous house. It began to smoke. "Look out!" he cried, diving behind the sofa. Sirius dived after him, and Peter scrambled over the back of the sofa after them. Liz, safe from her spot on the rug, watched with great amusement.

The entire stack exploded with a BANG, bits of cards flying everywhere. They would mend on their own in a few minutes, but for the moment, the common room was a blur of card confetti. James, Sirius and Peter peeked over the sofa, confetti in their hair like bits of dandruff. Liz shook her head, laughing at their terrified expressions. She turned back to the fire, watching as Remus' face was eaten by the flames.

She opened her journal.

_Monday, October 4_

_Remus told us he had to go home and see his sick mum today, and he won't be back until the day after tomorrow. We all believed it, until Sirius realized that Remus didn't bring his books so as to not fall behind. We've been looking everywhere for whatever illness we think he has (He told us he was sick last time, and it seemed to be the truth, or part of it) but none of the books we've looked through has anything useful. I just hope he'll be alright. Last time, he came back with cuts everywhere..._

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**A/N: Yeah, a short chapter, I know. It just seemed like a good place to stop at.**

**Mostly character relations, and them trying to figure out where Remus was going (Yay, I got to the mom excuse! Classic!)**

**My apologies to rocknroll chick. I just didn't have the time to send this to you to proofread.**

**Keep those reviews coming! I'll keep writing, but I probably won't post for a while because I have a date coming up, then a Renaissance Faire, but the next chapter WILL be up before next week, I promise!**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**

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**Anonymous Reviewers:**

**foofooman3: **They should fill the great hall doorway with spiderwebs. Also prank the defense agents the dark arts teacher. He deserves it. Give me another muffin. Yum

**Sorry, but that would be a boring prank. The teachers could get rid of it in an instant. No muffins for you! Come back one year! (Muffin Nazi!)**

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**Rocknroll chick**: The prank was awesome! They need to find out about Remus though.**  
**

**Don't worry! They will near the end of first year, but with a surprise ending! Check out deviantArt under Dndchk and you'll see what I mean if you look at Ebony's wrist closely...**


	12. Filthy Little Mudblood

**A/N: To any and all dads out there- Happy Father's Day! I'm dedicating this chapter to my own dad, who was awesome enough to take me trap shooting today. I love you, dad!**

**Oh. My. God! 49 reviews? WAY too cool! I know I've said it a million times before, but you guys are the GREATEST! HUGS AND MUFFINS! That's almost 50! (In case you can't tell, I'm jumping up and down like a maniac and squealing, which makes it very hard to type a story.)**

**I apologize for the short chapter last time. Mom decided to only let me have an hour to type it up and I was working furiously until the last minute to get it posted! I know I don't have to post every day, and that will change in a little bit, but I really wanted to get past that part and on with the story.**

**So, we'll get to see Snape in this chapter (Yay, Snape!) and the influence Sirius and James are beginning to have on Liz. It broke my heart writing _that_ scene.**

**Like I said, Friday was my date and on Saturday, I was running around dressed as an elf at a Renaissance Faire (in a velvet long-sleeved tunic-dress, leggings, boots, jerkin, REAL sword, and cloak in rain, then in 90 degree weather), so I wasn't able to write either of those days. I'm so very sorry for leaving you with that short chapter. I'm not sure when, but I promise Chapter Thirteen _will_ be up before next Sunday... Assuming I've recovered from heatstroke by then. ^_^ LOL, just kidding.**

**I did regret wearing that cloak. (But since it's a Ranger's Apprentice cloak, I'm kinda obligated to wear it. It's that awesome.) I got a saxe knife and a throwing knife though! How cool is that? It was awesome. They have HAGGIS! Don't worry, I didn't eat any. I had fish. Yum. Fish.**

**Disclaimer: Blah blah blah I don't own it yadda yadda yadda.**

Remus came back Wednesday, like he said he would, but looking more than a little worse for the wear. He was clearly exhausted, and a thick cotton pad was taped to his cheek.

When he had stumbled through the portrait hole that morning, the Marauders had actually gotten up an hour early to pursue more books. Liz had hurriedly kicked them under the table as the others rushed to surround him.

"Oh, Merlin, Remus, what happened to your face!" Sirius said, holding the small boy at army's length and surveying him.

"I- ah- fell. Down the stairs." Remus said, running a hand through his hair. Liz noticed his hand had a scabbed-over cut on the back of it. He caught her staring and quickly shoved it in his pocket.

"Again?" James said incredulously. You seem to do that a lot, Remus."

"I'm just accident prone," Remus said, grinning feebly. Then he winced, as though it hurt to smile.

Liz remembered the scars James had told her about and felt tears well up in her eyes. If only Remus would tell them what was wrong, they could help! For someone so smart, he could be pretty dumb sometimes.

"Come on and sit down, then," James said. He led Remus over to the sofa. Remus fell onto it gratefully, and began to snore almost immediately. Sirius raised his eyebrows at Liz.

"For someone who probably didn't do much at his mum's, he seems awfully tired," he said.

James sighed. "Well, whatever it is, he doesn't want to tell us. So we're just going to have to figure it out on our own."

Liz sighed as well. "You know, we'd probably be able to solve the mystery sooner if you would actually _read_ like you're supposed to."

James shrugged. "How do you expect me to concentrate on books when there are flying lessons this morning?"

"Peter somehow manages to do it," Liz said.

"Yeah, but he probably doesn't care because he already knows he's hopeless at flying," Sirius snickered. Peter gave the tall boy a hurt look but didn't say anything. "So how're you on a broom, Liz?"

Liz had actually never been on a broom. Her mother thought they were dangerous and wouldn't let one in the house. She saw no reason to tell her friends that, though. They'd just make fun of her. "Oh, I guess I'm alright," she said carefully.

"Huh," James shrugged. "It's a shame first years can't be on the House teams. I'd totally try out for Chaser if we could."

"There's always next year," Liz said reasonably, but James slapped his forehead.

"That's not the point! I want to be on the team _now_!"

"Well, too bad. You'll just have to wait like everybody else. In the meantime, make yourself useful." Liz pulled the books out from under the table and threw one to James. It caught him in the stomach and he fell back onto the sofa with a WOOF, landing on Remus.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Remus yelled. James rolled off him and onto the floor. Remus clutched at his chest, biting his lip.

"Sorry!" James cried as he stood up. "You can blame Lizzie for that."

Remus wasn't paying any attention. "Owww..." he moaned.

Liz wanted to kick herself. If she hadn't thrown that stupid book... "Sorry, Remus," she apologized.

"It- It's fine," he gasped, sitting up slowly. He rubbed his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Uh-" James looked at his watch- he was the only one in the group who owned one. "About ten minutes before we normally get up. Why?"

"Just wondering." Remus lay back down with a sigh. Within seconds, he was asleep again.

They looked at one another. "Okay, then," Sirius said. He sat down on the sofa, being careful not to wake Remus, and pulled a book toward him. He looked at the cover and threw it down in disgust. "I've already read this one. Do you have anything else?"

Liz looked through the teetering stack, already knowing the answer. "Nope," she sighed.

James set his own book on the table. "We must've gone through the entire library by now, and haven't found _anything_! What's the use? It's hopeless."

Liz looked at him. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with James Potter?"

"Sorry?"

"The James I know doesn't give up, no matter what! We promised ourselves we'd find a way to help Remus, and we will. As soon as we have break, we're going to the library. Same goes for lunch." Liz stood with her hands on her hips and a glare on her face reminiscent of Lily's.

"What'll we do about him, though?" Peter nodded in the sleeping Remus' direction.

"We can take it in turns to keep him busy," Sirius said. "Liz, where're your pencils?"

"Right here. Why?" She patted her bag.

"Give them to me." he held his hand out. She hesitated.

"Why?" she said suspiciously. Knowing Sirius, he'd probably turn them into snakes or something. "What are you going to do to them?"

"Don't worry, you'll get them back in perfect condition," Sirius said. He crossed his heart. "Marauders' promise."

Going against all her instincts, Liz pulled her pencil case out and tossed it lightly to him. Sirius caught it with ease. He rummaged through it and pulled out four pencils, one much shorter than the rest. Tapping them with his wand, he turned them all red, then stuffed them in his fist so it was impossible to tell what lengths they were. "Short stick hangs in the library today. If all of us go except one, Remus will get suspicious."

"Ah. Good point," Liz said reluctantly. She wasn't looking forward to spending her free time in the library by herself. Madam Pince was creepy. Knowing her luck, she would more than likely draw the short one.

"Ladies first," Sirius said, holding his fist out. Liz got up and picked one. Sure enough, it was the short one.

"Lucky me," she muttered. Sirius restored her pencils to their original colors and handed them back.

"Is it time to go to breakfast now?" Peter asked as his stomach gave a loud rumble.

"Dunno, but I'm hungry. Let's go." James went over to Remus and poked him. "Hey, quit mooning around and get your fat butt off the sofa! We're going to breakfast, and then it'll be flying lessons!"

Remus eyed him blearily. "At least my butt isn't the size of your head." Liz and Sirius choked back their laughter.

James' eyes narrowed. "You've been hanging out with Evans, haven't you?" he said.

"Puh-lease. Like I've had the time. I'm always busy trying to keep you two in line." Remus stretched, wincing as he did so. "But since when do you care about who I talk to?"

"Since you became my friend. Evans is the enemy. End of story. You aren't allowed to talk to her."

"Since when are you the boss of me?" Remus demanded. He got up and limped to the door. "Bye, Liz, Sirius, Peter. I'll be in the Great Hall when you decide to come down."

James stared after him. "_What is going on with him!_" He threw his hands in the air, rounding on Liz. "Liz, you'd better find something in the library today or you can just-"

"Do you really want to finish that sentence?" Liz said cooly. It seemed like the Remus bug had bitten James; they were both being very grumpy this morning.

"Errr, no? Sorry, Liz. I'm just worried about him." James slumped in his seat.

"Breakfast and flying, remember?" Sirius said quickly, in an obvious attempt to cheer James up. It worked.

"Ooh! Right!" James jumped up and raced to the portrait hole, not even bothering to wait for the Marauders. Liz and Sirius looked at one another.

"Has he had any coffee today?" Liz asked, snickering. Hyper James was always rather fun to watch.

"Not that I know of," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "At least he'll be down in the Great Hall to apologize to Remus while we're not there."

"Good point." They went down to the Great Hall to find James and Remus in the middle of a conversation about their parents.

"Mine always insist I take my shoes off when I come into the house, because it's more dirt to clean up" James said, rolling his eyes. "I'm like, 'pfft, right, I'm going to do that when the house-elves will clean it up for her?'" He spotted the three and waved them over. They sat in their usual spots- Peter on James' left, Liz on Remus' left and opposite James, Sirius on her other side. Lily, farther down the table, caught Liz, eye and waved. Liz waved back.

"Glad to see you two have made up," Sirius said, drowning his pancakes in syrup.

"Glad to see you still have a talent for stating the obvious," Remus said drily. They laughed. "Sorry I was short with you earlier," he said. "I'm just really tired."

"How's your mum doing?" Liz asked, pulling the marmalade towards her.

"Wha-oh, yeah." Liz glanced at him. "Mum's fine. She's still sick, though. I might need to go visit her again sometime." He clammed up then, refusing to say any more. Liz shrugged. If he wasn't going to tell them, it only meant they'd just have to wait little longer to find out.

After breakfast, they headed out to the Quidditch Pitch for their first flying lesson. James was practically bouncing as he walked, chattering excitedly to Sirius about his broom. Peter followed close behind them, hanging on to their every word with wide eyes. Remus and Liz walked behind them, watching the scene with amusement.

"Does he ever shut up?" Liz wondered, eyeing James.

"Only when he's asleep," Remus said, shaking his head. Liz snorted. "That's ladylike."

"Since when have I cared about that?" Liz asked. "I'm probably the most unladylike person you'll ever meet! Watch this!" She paused for a moment, swallowing a massive quantity of air, forcing it into her stomach. She waited until the pressure had built up, then let out a loud belch.

Remus looked at her. "I can do better," he said. After a moment, he belched even more loudly than Liz. She burped back at him. Sirius turned around.

"I'm so proud of you, Liz! You finally got Remus to act immature for once!" He slapped Remus on the back. "I knew you had it in you!" Remus winced. "Oops, sorry," Sirius apologized, pulling his hand away.

"S'fine," Remus said. His good mood was gone though, replaced with one silent and introverted.

They walked to the Quidditch Pitch in silence. James became excited again once he saw the brooms laid out and waiting. Most of the other students had already shown up and were clustered into two distinct groups: Slytherins on the right, Gryffindors on the left. The Marauders joined their classmates, staring at the Slytherins with distaste.

"I can't believe we have to share classes with them," Sirius muttered, eyeing Nott, who was looking very tall and menacing.

"We'd better get used to it, we'll be sharing classes with them for the next seven years," Remus muttered back. Liz ignored them. She was focused on the brooms, laid out in two rows, one of seven and one of six, all of them looking more than a little shabby. Twigs stuck out at odd angles, and most of the brooms looked splintery. Liz was trying not to show it, but was secretly freaking out on the inside. She was certain she would fall off and everyone would laugh at her. The boys would realize she'd lied to them and make fun of her too.

Liz thought she might panic when their instructor came onto the field. She was a tall woman with shoulder-length greying hair and yellow eyes. Liz was reminded of a hawk.

"Good morning, class. I am Madam Hooch, and I will be your flying instructor for the next two weeks. Now, I want you to choose a broom and stand on its left side. Once you have done so, you will await my instructions." There was a flurry of movement as the students hurried to stand beside a broom. The male Marauders ended up in a line, but Liz found herself cut off by Victoria, who took her place beside Remus, then Sarah and Lily, and then, to Liz's distaste, Snivellus. Before she had a chance to claim another broom, all of them had been taken save for the one beside the Slytherin boy. Liz sighed and stepped into place. Snivellus looked like he wanted to talk to Lily, but sneered at Liz when she took her spot.

"Ever flown a broom before, muggle?" He muttered.

"Of course I have, you greasy git," Liz muttered back. His lip curled.

"I doubt that. I saw you looking at the brooms- you looked terrified." He smirked; she growled at him.

"You'll notice that I didn't run off though, while I bet you would have if you were the nervous one." Snape's triumphant look was replaced by one of annoyance.

"For your information, Auberey, I'm not nervous, so your taunt meant nothing."

"Uh-huh. If it meant nothing, then why do you keep trying to one-up me?"

"Now then," Madam Hooch barked. "You will stick your right hand over the broom and say up. Do not attempt to fly once you succeed, but I will come around to check your grips once you have mounted." Liz looked doubtfully at her broom, then glanced at Snape.

"I bet you can't get it up on your first try," she taunted.

"Up!" Snape said. His broom jerked, but didn't fly into his hand. He glared at her. "You won't be able to either, you know."

"Oh, I know that," Liz said cheerfully. Mocking the sallow boy had taken her mind off of her terror, and was feeling rather exuberant. "Up," she commanded. To her intense surprise, the broom jumped into her hand at once.

"Go, Liz!" James called from down the line. He was leaning around Sirius who was leaning around Peter who was leaning around Remus to watch her. She waved at him, but could feel the apprehension building up inside her again. She was going to make a fool of herself, she just knew it. Liz swung a leg over the broom and waited. Madam Hooch was making her way down the line, adjusting people's grips, or giving them pointers. She reached Liz and moved her hands so they were farther apart.

"Having a wide grip is better for your balance," the woman explained. "There are more specialized grips for the Quidditch positions, but I'm just showing you the best grip to use when you're just starting." Liz nodded, storing the information in her brain, but knowing she'd never be a Quidditch player, it seemed unimportant to her. Liz was cheered up wen Snape was told he had too wide a grip and would be likely to fall off if he kept doing it like that.

"Now then," Madam Hooch said, standing at the head of the line, "When I blow my whistle, you are to lightly push off from the ground, hover for a moment, then come back down by leaning forward." She raised her whistle to her lips and blew. Liz kicked off, gently, like she was pushing off from the bottom of a pool. She wobbled shakily in the air for a moment, decided she'd stayed up for long enough, then leaned forward like she'd been told, hitting the ground a little hard and stumbling. Liz smiled when she realized she was unhurt. That actually hadn't been as bad as she'd thought.

James, of course, had no trouble at all keeping his broom steady in the air and was sitting back, hands behind his head, watching the others with amusement. He caught Liz' eye and grinned cockily. Liz made a rude gesture and stuck her tongue out. He did the same, then hopped lightly to the ground. Sirius punched him on the shoulder, and James hit him back. They laughed, and Liz felt rather lonely, sandwiched between two Slytherins.

The rest of the lesson progressed smoothly. By the end of it, Liz was able to fly in a circle without worrying she'd fall off. James and Sirius flew like they'd been doing it their whole lives (which they had) but Peter fell off several times, causing a lot of laughter among the students. Remus wasn't too bad, but he made it quite clear, as they were traipsing across the grounds to go to Herbology, that he preferred to keep both feet firmly on the ground. Lily, surprisingly, was a natural- third best in the class, after the two show-offs called Black and Potter. Liz wished she were that good, but, as she reminded herself, nobody could surpass her when it came to combat spells, so she just had to be content with that.

**xxx**

After the bell had rung for lunch, Liz bid the others goodbye and hurried up to the library. She pulled some books down to look through, but the selection was minuscule compared to the first day of searching. She then headed to her usual table, expecting it to be unoccupied like it had been during break, only to realize it was taken by the last person she wanted to see- Snivellus. She bristled. How dare he sit at _her_ table? Something would have to be done about that.

She strode over to the greasy boy, mimicking Sirius' confident strut. She stopped next to him. "That's my table, Snivellus."

He looked up at her, his cold black eyes filling with hate. "I can sit wherever I like, Auberey. There are plenty of tables over there that you can use."

"Yes, but, you see, this is _my_ table, and I really don't appreciate you sitting here. You'll leave these great grease puddles that I really don't want to have to clean up."

Snape stood up, his eyes shining with malice. "Say that again, you filthy little mudblood?"

Hatred swept through Liz as she drew her wand faster than she thought possible. "Petrificus Totalus!" she yelled. Snape ducked, the spell shooting past his head and exploding against the bookcase behind him. His own wand came whipping out.

"Levicorpus!" he bellowed. Liz found herself hoisted up into the air by her ankle, her robes falling up around her stomach. They would have covered her head if her arms had not been held out. She struggled to get down.

"Expelliarmus!" she cried, aiming as best as she could while upside down. Snape's wand went flying out of his hand and rolled under a table. Snape dived after his wand. Liz fell to the ground, stunned for a moment.

"Stupefy!" She heard him yell. She instinctively rolled to one side as a jet of red light burst on the rug where her face had been.

"THATS ENOUGH!" Madam Pince screeched. "Expelliarmus!" Liz's and Snape's wands flew out of their hands and the librarian caught them. "Dueling in the library? That is unacceptable! You will go straight to your Heads of Houses _immediately_ and explain why you have been sent to see them!"

"Madam Pince, could we have our wan-" Liz started.

"_Go_!" She screeched. The two children fled.

"Don't think this is over, Snivellus," Liz snarled as they left.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure I'm the one who ends it," he snarled back. Thankfully, they didn't have to travel far together. The moment they were out, Liz turned right to where she knew a shortcut to McGonagall's office was, while Snape turned left.

As soon as she was out of Snape's hearing, Liz felt the tears start to slide down her cheeks. She knew she shouldn't care, because it wasn't as though Snivellus' opinion mattered to her, but it still hurt. So what if she might have been a touch rude about the table? That still gave him no right to call her a mudblood, the greasy git.

Liz trudged to McGonagall's office, staring at her feet. She wished the Marauders were with her, trying to make her smile, Peter with his ever-present smile, Remus, telling her to just ignore it, James and Sirius plotting ways to get revenge.

_"Maybe we can chase him with a bottle of shampoo, what do you reckon?"_

Liz snorted, imagining that particular scene. It gave her great satisfaction imagining Snivellus' face as they held him down and pored rose-scented shampoo on his head.

She reached McGonagall's door and hesitated, suddenly nervous. Then she squared her shoulders. She'd been sorted into Gryffindor for a reason. What was the worst that could happen anyway? She'd get another detention? Liz raised her fist and knocked.

"Come in," Professor McGonagall said. Liz entered, suddenly losing her nerve again. How many points would she and the Marauders have to make up for this one? They'd only just managed to win back all the points they'd lost from Dranseau.

"Miss Auberey?" Professor McGonagall looked surprised to see Liz there. "May I help you?"

"Well, er, Professor, you see, I- ah-" Liz shuffled her feet.

"Yes?" McGonagall peered over her glasses at Liz. She sighed when she saw the girl's face. "Don't tell me you got into trouble _again_!"

Liz nodded. "You see, Professor, I was in the library, and Sni-Snape was there. He- he called me a mudblood, Professor." Liz fought back tears as she choked out the last words.

McGonagall's eyes narrowed. "I see. And then what happened?"

"Well, I kind of pulled out my wand and tried to hex him?" Liz said, making it sound like a question.

McGonagall sighed again and pinched the bridge of her nose. "How badly damaged is the library?"

"Well, actually, it isn't. Madam Pince stopped us before we could destroy anything." Liz wondered silently what McGonagall was going to do to punish her. Another week of polishing trophies? Surely there were only so many times you could shine something before it wore away. "She sent us to our Heads of House and took our wands away."

"I see." McGonagall pulled out a piece of parchment and began to write. "I will have to talk to Professor Slughorn about this. You can go, Miss Auberey. Take this to Madam Pince, and apologize to her. Don't think you'l be let off for this one, though." She handed the parchment to Liz.

"Thank you, Professor." Liz turned and left. She realized she was shaking. She had never had a one-on-one conversation in a teacher's office before. It was _scary_.

She hurried back to the library and got her wand back from Madam Pince, along with a lecture on how to responsibly treat books, and what were you thinking, young lady, you could have done so much damage, then hurried down to lunch with her friends.

She slipped into her seat between Sirius and Remus just as the food disappeared. Great. "Hey guys."

"Liz?" Remus asked. "I thought you were in the library." He handed her a napkin. Inside were five rolls, still warm. She grinned at him. "We were saving them for you to eat in Charms today."

"Thanks," she said. She tore into them- she hadn't realized how hungry she was.

"So why are you here?" Peter asked. "I thought you were looking for more books for OUCH!" Liz kicked him under the table.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," she finished calmly. Remus looked at her, an eyebrow raised. Liz tried to keep herself from staring at the pad taped to his cheek.

"Well, why are you back yet? You said you'd meet us in class," James said, looking hard at her.

"Well, I ran into Snivellus when I got there," Liz started. "He was sitting at my table, so I told him to move because I didn't want him leaving grease puddles all over." James and Sirius roared with laughter. After a pause and a quick glance at James, Peter began to laugh, too. Remus frowned.

"Why? You could have just asked him to move nicely, or sat somewhere else. I'm sure the library isn't that crowded at this time." Liz rolled her eyes.

"That's not the point. He was sitting at _my_ table. He is not supposed to sit at _my_ table. _Nobody_ is supposed to sit at _my_ table." Liz didn't understand why that was so hard for him to get!

"Don't you think you're being a bit... possessive?" Remus said quietly. She blinked. Was she? No, it was Snivellus they were talking about. He didn't count. On the other hand, though...

"Well, alright, other people can sit there- as long as they use shampoo," she conceded. James, Sirius and Peter laughed louder. Remus shrugged, sighing. "Anyway, he called me a mudblood." Liz's face hardened. The boys stopped laughing at once.

"He did _WHAT_?" James roared, jumping up. Sirius pulled him back down.

"Calm down, mate, it's not that bad!" Liz's mouth dropped open. Sirius considered a mudblood, too? James turned angrily to Sirius.

"Not that bad? You think Liz deserves to be called that?" James said angrily. "You think anybody deserves to be called that?"

Sirius' face twisted in confusion. "What do you mean?" Liz remembered what he'd said at the start-of-term feast.

_'My parents spend their time trying to mold me and my little brother, Regulus, into perfect little Slytherins...'_

"You don't know, do you?" She said quietly. "Mudblood is a really foul name for a muggleborn. It basically means that you have mud instead of blood, that your parents are mud, and you are nothing better than low-life scum." Sirius' face tightened as she spoke. Liz felt bad for him. If he grew up thinking mudblood was an okay word to say, she didn't want to know what his home life was like.

"I'm so sorry, Liz, I didn't know..." Sirius mumbled. Liz patted him on the back.

"It's fine. It's not like it's your fault or anything."

"And you said Snivellus called you that? That little git!" James drummed his fingers on the table, scowling. "We're gonna have to get him back for this. Don't look at me like that, Remus! Do you really think we're going to take his insults?"

Remus sighed. "No."

"Actually, I did kind of get back at him already," Liz said. "When he called me that, I- ah- started a duel in the library."

"Awesome!" James said, standing up. The others did the same. "I bet Pince was frothing at the mouth when she got you!"

"She was," Liz laughed. "She took our wands and yelled at us for a bit, then sent us to our Heads' offices. McGonagall told me off, then sent me back to the library to get my wand back. She said she'll be talking with Slughorn to decide our punishment later."

"Did you hit Snivellus with anything good?" Peter asked excitedly.

I tried to petrify him, but he dodged it. I did manage to disarm him after he hung me upside down."

"How did he do that?" James asked. "I've never heard of a spell that does that."

"He said Levicorpus and the next thing I knew, I was dangling in midair, held up by my ankle. He must have found it in a book or something." Liz shrugged.

"Levicorpus? I'll have to remember that one..." James grinned impishly.

They made it to Charms class on time, picking Liz's brain for the details about the fight. They sat in their seats, Liz waiting for her partner, Lily, who came in a few minutes before class. Her face was red.

"How could you, Liz?" she hissed as she slid into her seat. The boys turned around to watch. Liz was confused.

"How could I what?" she asked.

"Don't play innocent with me! Sev told me all about how you came up to him in the library and tried to hex him! It's got to stop, Liz! It might be funny to you, but not to me!" Lily stuck her face in Liz's. Liz glared at her.

"You have no right to talk to me like that! Your little Slytherin buddy deserved it, and more! He called me a mudblood, Lily." Lily looked shocked, then suspicious.

"No. No, Sev wouldn't call anybody that!"

"He would and he did. You ever wonder why he doesn't let you hang out with him at the Slytherin table? It's because he's worried about his reputation. I'm a mudblood, you're a mudblood, so he can't be seen with you in public. He's a two-faced snake, Lily- as soon as it's convenient for him, he'll dump you for his Slytherin pure-blood pals!" Liz realized her voice was rising as she spoke, until she was yelling. The entire class had turned to watch them, their mouths hanging open. Liz glared at them. "Don't you have anything better to be doing?" she demanded, fingering her wand. They hurriedly turned back so they were facing the front, then half-glanced back to Liz, saw she was still glaring at them, then turned back to the front.

Liz sighed to herself. Was she going to forever be known as the weird girl who was good with jinxes, read a lot and yelled at people?

Lily bit her lip. "I'm going to talk to Severus again. I'm still mad at you, though." And with that, the redhead crossed her arms, turned to the front, and ignored Liz for the rest of the class.

* * *

Sirius felt horrible, not realizing what an awful word mudblood was, and how he had nearly called Liz that once, when they had been talking about their families. He didn't remember exactly why he hadn't, but was immensely glad he hadn't. He probably wouldn't be a Marauder anymore, that's for sure.

Liz brooded for the rest of the day, scowling into the distance at something only she could see, speaking in clipped sentences to anyone who talked to her, and not volunteering information herself. Sirius' heart clenched whenever he looked at her pretty hazel eyes, bloodshot from the tears he knew she'd shed but refused to acknowledge. Snivellus would pay.

But first, he had to snap Lizzie out of her foul mood. And he had just the thing to do it.

"Hey, Liz," he said that evening in the common room. He threw himself down on the sofa next to her, casually draping an arm over her shoulders. Butterflies erupted in his stomach as he did so, but they quickly vanished when Liz threw him off. Sirius felt someone glaring at him, and looked up to meet Remus' angry gaze. The smaller boy quickly dropped his eyes back to his parchment.

"What do you want?" she said dully.

"I've been thinking-" he started, before realizing his mistake.

"Did your brain overheat and explode everywhere, and you need me to go clean it up?" Liz asked. A faint grin appeared on her face, and Sirius felt a glimmer of hope.

"Nope, not yet," he laughed. "But if that ever happened, you'd be the first one I'd ask."

"I feel honored," she said drily.

"Anyway, you remember how you said we needed a team name?" The thought had been bugging Sirius since their prank on the Slytherin common room, but he needed to get the others' okay before he went ahead with his idea. He already had the perfect one for Liz; he only needed one for James, Remus, Peter and himself now.

"Yes...?" Liz said slowly.

"Well, we should also have nicknames. You would be-"

"No!" Remus said. "No nicknames! Please!" He looked like a madman. "You'll just name me Bookworm or Nerdboy or something along those lines that's equally degrading."

Sirius snorted. "Nah, nothing stupid, They'd be cool nicknames. Like, Jamesie here could be Hawkeye or-" Liz snorted. Sirius turned to her. "Is something funny?"

Liz shook her head. "I'm sorry, but Hawkeye is already taken. Try something else."

Sirius shrugged. He'd just made James' up on the spot, it wasn't was though he'd put any effort into it. "I was just kidding about his," he said, waving a hand carelessly, "But I already have one for you."

Peter jumped. "Ooh, what is it?" he asked excitedly.

"Well, I thought it fit because you have freaky future visions and have the tail hair in your wand-" Sirius babbled.

"What is it?" Liz asked interestedly. Sirius grinned. At least she wasn't brooding anymore.

"Ebony."

Liz was silent for a moment, and Sirius thought he'd been completely wrong about Liz liking it. Then she smiled, a really pretty smile that showed her white, slightly buck-toothed grin.

"Ebony," she mused. "I like it."

James nodded. "It fits, and it's nothing weird like Nerdgirl." He added this last bit with a sidelong look at Remus. Remus rolled his eyes, but smiled, too.

"All in favor of Ebony?" Sirius asked, putting his hand up. The others did the same. "Ebony it is, then!" he said happily. "And now, to business."

"What business?" James said, his eyes lighting up. "Pranking business?"

Sirius nodded. "You know me too well. The Marauders need to do something for Halloween- something big."

Liz grinned. "Something smelly and scary. I think I might have an idea-"

"Exploding pumpkins?" Sirius asked. "That's an excellent idea, Ebony!"

Liz grinned at the sound of her nickname. "Exploding pumpkins, yes, but with a little extra surprise."

"Let me guess," James said. "Stinksap."

"Yup," Liz nodded. "Let's go up to the dorms, I don't want to be overheard." They gathered their homework and hurried up to the boys' room, shutting the door carefully behind them.

* * *

Liz crawled into bed that night, excited about the prospect of yet another prank. Snivellus calling her a mudblood just didn't seem important in the light of recent events. They would get their revenge on him, but for now, the Marauders were back in business.

"Liz?" Lily said as Liz reached up to pull the hangings closed. She paused.

"Yeah?" Liz called warily, not in the mood for another row.

"I talked to Severus earlier. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"It's alright. I shouldn't have yelled at you either. Look, Lily, I'm kinda tired and want to get to bed, so..."

"Oh, right! Good night, Liz."

"Good night. Oh, and Lily?"

"Mmm?"

"They call me Ebony, now." And with that, Liz pulled the hangings shut around her, laughing to herself when she heard Lily:

"Why couldn't she have just stuck with Elizabeth?"

* * *

**A/N: I know this chapter and eleven were only from Liz's POV, but it just seemed to work. I'll try to work in some of the others in the next few chapters.**

**Ladies aaaaand gentlemen! Allow me to introduce the world's first and oooonly mediocre Quidditch player OC female Marauder! It always annoyed me to no end how the fifth Marauder is either a Quidditch prodigy or so horrible at Quidditch she winds up in the Hospital Wing because she dared to fly two feet off the ground. GAH! *bangs head on the wall* Okay, that's better. Liz will get better eventually, but she's gonna have to work at it. I mean, with a friend like James, he's gonna force her to play while at his house, but... yeah. *rolls eyes* I hope I didn't turn her into the makings of a Mary-Sue in this chapter, because that would be horrible.**

**Anyway, I said several chapters back to a reviewer that I will be giving Liz her flaws, and you can see them here- she's turning into a bully like Sirius and James, and she'll have some more issues to deal with later in the series. I love them all, don't get me wrong, but writing part five especially will be hard for me, with the scene from the O.W.L.s... sigh. Nobody seems to want to accept that the Marauders weren't perfect, and it's a bit of a slap in the face to do this, but I feel like it needed to be done. I'm sorry if I offend any Marauders lovers in the future.**

**Please review! I only need _one more_ to make it to 50!**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**

**P.S. I might be a little delayed in getting Chapter 13 out, since I will be attempting to read the entire Harry Potter series in 24 hours or less. To do that, I need to read at a speed of 170 pages/hour, and since I only read at a speed of 150, I've been training. I finished Philosopher's stone in 2 hours, and will try to make it around 2:20 for Chamber of Secrets. Wish me luck!**

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**Anonymous Reviewers:**

**Rocknroll chick: **Ah! It ended too soon!

**I know, I'm sorry! I did kinda promise myself that I'd get chapter eleven out yesterday, so I refused to give in to reason and let my ego win. I feel like James Potter now :3 Hehe.**

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**Foofooman3**: Turn the defense teacher's office pink and hide his stuff. Now do I get a muffin?

**No. I mean BIG pranks. For Halloween, Christmas, and the End-of-Term Feast pranks. *facepalm* I guess I should have explained that better...**

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**Photochick**: I like it. Keep writing. I love your creative writing.

**Thanks, and don't worry, I will, MOM. *rolls eyes***

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**JoeSax: **Wha...? Liz gets bitten? Wha...? Absolutely brilliant

**Hmm, did I ever _say_ that? *muses* HA! You'll just have to wait and see. I've got a (very) rough plan with a definite ending to the series, and a tentative spinoff planned, but the fine detail plot aspects of part one are mostly finished. I'm very happy you like my story (I know I've said it like 49 times, but I mean it every time) and am honored people read and review this. :) :) :)**


	13. The Boggart and the Birthday

**A/N: Wow. I mean, wow. *takes a moment to faint* Seriously, wow. I only started this story a month ago, it's my first fanfiction, and I have _over 50 reviews?_ *faints again* I feel so special! All those reviews let me know my story is loved! I love you guys too! Marauders group hug!**

**I looked it up on the Harry Potter Wiki, and it only told me Sirius' birthday is sometime during the fall of 1959, so I'm making it October 16 for giggles, and Peter's is just listed as 1960, so his will be June 2. This information will become relevant later.**

**So, yeah, Elizabeth is now the first one with a Marauder name! It's just my theory that their names go in order on the map according to when they got their nicknames, since Moony and Wormtail would have been easy to come up with, but I mean, what are you supposed to name a stag? Prongs probably got his name last out of all of them, since I know I wouldn't have been able to come up with something as good as that. EMWPP forever!**

**There's a new picture up on my deviantArt account. It's the scene in Chapter 12 during the library fight. Hope you enjoy it.**

**This chapter was edited by my RL friend Rocknroll chick. Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I own only the plot and the OCs. The rest were kidnapped off my bookshelf and forced into the story.**

* * *

"Hey, Sirius?" Liz said. Sirius looked up.

"What?" he said. Right then, Remus managed to knock a Gobstone out of the ring, resulting in the foul-smelling slime squirting up Sirius' nose. "GAAAAAH!"

James snorted and pulled a tissue out of the box nearby. "Bet that felt good."

"Smells even better," Sirius grumbled, blowing his nose.

Liz winced. "Sorry," she laughed, "I wasn't trying to get Gob-gunk up your nose." She leaned forward, aimed her taw, and sent it flying through the ring, knocking out one of James' and several of Remus'. Their Gobstones squirted goop in their faces, making them sputter while the other three roared with laughter.

It was Saturday morning, about a week after Liz' battle in the library with Snivellus, and the five Marauders were in the empty Gryffindor common room, playing Gobstones. They had the place all to themselves because it was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year, and none of the older students had wanted to stay behind. Sirius had always considered himself to be a pretty good player, until Liz challenged them to a five-way match. She was now ahead by twenty points.

"What was it you wanted, Eb?" Sirius asked while Remus and James reached for the tissues.

Liz shrugged. "I was just wondering when your birthday was. I was kinda hoping that I'm not the youngest here, but I doubt it." She sighed.

Sirius shifted. He wished she didn't have to ask, because in all honesty, he didn't know when his birthday was.

When he was four, he had asked his mother if he could go play with some of the muggle boys that lived nearby. She said no, but he persisted. _Why? Why? Why?_ he'd ask. She finally sent him to his room, where he spent the remainder of the day without any food.

Or, at least, that's what his mother thought. Sirius had instead climbed out the window, toddled down the street and went to play with the boys outside.

The next day, he asked his mother when his birthday was. She replied cooly that it didn't matter- he asked her that if it didn't matter, why did one of the muggle boys from yesterday ask him to a birthday party? She slapped him on the face and sent him to his room. Again. Sirius had lain brooding on his bed that night when he realized- he could just look at the family tapestry to find out!

But when he was let out the next day, all he found was a burn mark over the date of his birth. The only clue he had was that his mother had missed something- he knew his birthday was sometime in the fall or winter because of the letters -BER, slightly singed, above his name.

"Sirius?" Peter's voice startled him. "Are you okay? You kind of started zoning out."

"I'm fine, Peter," Sirius sighed and pushed his hair behind his ear. "Just thinking."

"So, when is your birthday?" Remus persisted. Sirius bit his lip. Lie, or tell the truth? He decided on the truth- a lie would just come back to bite him, hard. Liz was scary sometimes, with the way she remembered seemingly insignificant details.

He coughed, shifted again, and cleared his throat. "Well, I-er- don't exactly know..." He cringed at the looks the others were giving him.

"Why not?" Peter asked curiously, but Liz elbowed him in the side. The chubby boy winced and gave her a look like a kicked puppy. She ignored him.

"That's alright. You don't have to tell us why if you don't want to," she said quietly. Sirius smiled at her gratefully.

"Well, I do know it's in a month that ends in -ber," he said.

James grinned. "Sirius, you're so lucky! Now you can say any day you want is your birthday! Like, you could decide for it to be today, if you wanted."

"What day is today?" Sirius asked.

"It's Saturday, duh." Remus ducked as Liz tried to swat the back of his head. Remus was moving much better now, a week after his 'visit', and had been able to take the bandage off his face to reveal another scar, running right below the one he already had. It was still pink and tender looking.

"It's the sixteenth," Liz said, rolling her eyes. Sirius thought about it. He'd never had a birthday to celebrate before. It might actually be kind of fun.

"Well then," he said, "My birthday is now the sixteenth of October!" He blinked. "Er- what exactly do you do on your birthdays?" The others looked at one another and grinned.

"Let's show you," James said, sweeping the Gobstones into their pouch and pulling the strings tight. "What should we do first? Ebony? Remus?"

Liz shrugged. "It's almost lunchtime- let's get cake first." She sighed. "I was hoping it would be later so I could get you a birthday present."

Sirius reached out and ruffled her hair. "Naw, that's fine. You didn't have to get me anything. Now, you said something about a cake?"

"To the kitchens!" James yelled, pointing his finger in the air. The Marauders ran for the door and all the way to the basement.

"Hello, good Masters and Miss, what can Ikki do for you today?" Ikki beamed at them. The tiny elf had taken on the responsibility of looking after the Marauders whenever they came down to the kitchens, which was quite frequent. Sirius often wished that Kreacher was as friendly as Ikki.

"Today's Sirius' twelfth birthday," Remus said, kneeling down to Ikki's eye level. "We were hoping you could make him a cake?"

Ikki's face broke into a broad smile. "Happy, happy birthday, Master Sirius! What kind of cake would you be liking?"

"Er-" Sirius thought about it. There was one cake from the start-of-term feast that really stood out in his mind- it had been delicious. "A chocolate cake, please, with the strawberry and vanilla frosting?"

"Excellent choice, Master Sirius! Ikki will go tells the cake elves now!" And with that, she darted off.

"Cake elves?" James said, staring after her. Remus stood, shrugging.

"My guess would be that they have an entire section of the kitchen devoted to the desserts, and the cake elves are the ones who specialize in cakes."

"No! Really?" Liz said sarcastically. They laughed and headed to sit at the small table that had become theirs.

"So, if my birthday is today, then what about you guys?" Sirius asked, holding a chair out for Liz. He ignored the look Remus was giving him.

"I'm March twenty-seventh," James said. "You're so much older than me, Sirius..."

"I'm a March also," Remus said, turning his attention off Sirius. "March tenth. That makes me older than you. So there!" James stuck his tongue out at Remus.

"I'm June second," Peter sighed. "I bet I'm the youngest out of all of you."

Liz groaned. "You've got to be kidding me! I'm two months younger than Peter, five months younger than Remus and James, and almost a year younger than Sirius! Maybe more!" In response to their inquiring looks, she relented. "August twenty-fifth."

"Hang on..." Remus said slowly. "That was the day we met in Diagon Alley, wasn't it? That as your birthday?" Liz nodded. "Well, happy birthday to you, too!"

"Thanks," Liz said, flashing a grin at Remus. Sirius felt a knot in his stomach. Liz only ever smiled like that at Remus. Never at him.

"Hey! I was at Diagon Alley that day, also!" Peter said. Somebody ran into me outside the Quidditch shop."

"I'm guessing that was James," Liz said, rolling her eyes. "He nearly ran me over outside Ollivanders'."

James suddenly became very interested in the tablecloth. Sirius slapped his friend on the back. "Hey, they're still here, right?" They laughed.

The house-elves, escorted by Ikki, showed up then, with a beautiful, enormous cake, so big that the five of them couldn't possibly eat it all in one sitting. It was covered in red lumpy frosting, the lumps being hidden chunks of strawberry, and written in yellow icing were the words _Happy Birthday!_ Twelve candles, already lit, were perched on top.

"Er, what are the candles for?" Sirius asked.

Liz's face fell, but said, "They're traditional. We sing Happy Birthday, you make a wish, and blow all the candles out. It's done in the wizard and muggle worlds, but wizard cakes are special. If what you wish for isn't too far out there, it really will come true. When I was little, I used to wish I could fly, but now it's mostly for books, and once for tickets to the Quidditch World Cup. You know, small things like that. Some wishes take longer to come true than others, though."

His friends began to sing Happy Birthday.

Sirius looked at the twelve candles, flickering cheerfully on top of his first-ever birthday cake. He would have to make this wish special. He shot a sidelong look at Liz. He really liked her. She was pretty, and smart, and loved planning pranks to pull on Slytherins. He knew what he wanted to wish for, but... Remus liked her too. Would it be right for him to wish for... Sirius shook off his thoughts as the song ended. He knew what he wanted.

He wished Liz would kiss him.

He leaned forward and blew out the candles.

* * *

After they ate the cake, Liz decreed that they would go outside. She grinned to herself. Sirius had no idea what was coming next.

As they were walking through the entrance hall, Liz grabbed James and whispered to him, "I need your help with something." She quickly outlined her plan in an undertone. James nodded, barely able to keep the smirk off his face.

Liz led them outside to their tree. She and James leaned casually against the trunk, while the others lay or sat on the grass. As Sirius rolled onto his belly, Liz nodded to James. She grabbed Sirius' wrists, while James grabbed his ankles.

"HEY! Put me down! Let go!" Sirius wriggled, trying to get free.

"On three?" James asked. Liz nodded. "One..."

"Two..."

"THREE!" They yelled together. They swung Sirius out and threw him into the lake. He landed with a splash in the shallows. Remus and Peter watched in horror as Sirius stood and rushed at them, dripping wet. He grabbed James around the waist and they fell in the water together. James jumped out of the lake and grabbed Liz, who fell in as well. She gasped in shock- the water was freezing! The three of them splashed around a bit, then turned to Remus and Peter. Liz was amused at the way their eyes widened.

James and Sirius jumped Peter, but Remus took off running. He was fast, but Liz, who had been expecting it, was faster. She tackled him from behind, one arm around his neck and the other around his waist. They fell over on the grass with an OOF!

"NOOOOO!" Remus yelled, clawing at the ground as Liz stood and dragged him by his ankles to the lake. James and Sirius got out and helped Liz throw Remus in. Soon, the Marauders were all soaked to the bone. They spent several minutes swimming, fully dressed, in the lake, then got out and lay on the grass, enjoying the warm sun and the cool breeze that ruffled the treetops of the Forbidden Forest.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Sirius asked as they stared lazily at the sky.

"I dunno, it's your birthday," Liz said sleepily. The hot sun was making her feel drowsy.

"You guys want to go exploring?" James said excitedly.

"Yeah!" Sirius jumped up. Liz was amazed at how much energy the boys still had. She yawned and sat up.

"Meh. I guess so," she said. Sirius jumped back in the lake, just to annoy Filch, he said, and the Marauders headed back up to the castle, Sirius' shoes squelch-squelch-squelching all the way.

They wandered about the castle for a few minutes before they heard a mewing noise by their feet. Mrs. NorrisII was prowling about, sniffing at the puddle of water dripping off of Sirius. A moment later, they could hear Filch come wheezing around the corner.

"RUN!" Remus yelled. The five took off, darting up one staircase, whipping around a corner, ducking into a passage behind a tapestry, up another flight of stairs, but it was no use. Sirius left a stream of water everywhere he ran, leaving a perfect trail for Filch to follow.

"I don't suppose you know a drying charm?" James howled as they flew up yet another staircase.

"Oh! Right!" Remus pulled his wand out. "Scourgify!" The water trail Sirius was leaving disappeared for several feet. "Scourgify!"

"There!" Liz yelled, pointing out a large mirror. "Go past it, then turn around and hide there!" Sirius poured on the speed. He ran to the end of the passage, then turned around and ran back, following his trail. They ducked behind the mirror, cleaning up the water trail that led to their hiding spot.

They watched with bated breath, their chests heaving, as Filch hobbled past them. They heard him muttering to himself about hooligans, despoiling and befouling the castle, when they heard his howl of anger as he came to the end of the line. He left, presumably to get a mop, and they allowed themselves to relax.

"Woah..." Remus said.

"What?" Liz asked, turning around. "Woah!" They weren't just hiding behind a mirror- there was a tunnel, long, large and barrel-vaulted, snaking into the darkness.

"Where d'you reckon it goes?" James asked, peering down the tunnel.

"Let's find out!" Sirius said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Lumos!" His wand tip began to glow with a soft light. Liz and the others hurried to light their own wands, and they set off cautiously.

The tunnel was very large, the walls roughly chiseled. After about a hundred yards in, it began to slope downhill. They descended, holding their wands aloft, clustered together. None of them wanted to admit it, but they were all frightened.

The tunnel went down, down, down, then it began a shallow slope upward. Liz was comforted by this. Up meant safety, up meant sunlight, up meant out. They came to a set of stairs, and after a moment's pause, began to climb. James was in the front with Sirius, then Remus and Liz, then Peter bringing up the rear. Liz tried to keep count, but got messed up at around three hundred twenty six.

She was beginning to wonder if her legs would fall off from sheer exhaustion when Sirius, who was taller than James, hit his head on the ceiling with a resounding _crack_.

"Owww," Sirius moaned, putting his head between his hands. "That _hurt_."

They had reached the end of the stairs. Liz peeked around James to see in front of her. There was a low wall blocking their path, which rose to meet the ceiling. Liz thought that if she jumped, she would just barely brush it with her fingertips.

"I think it's a trapdoor," James said, ignoring his friend's whining. He glanced at the others. "What do you think? Open it?"

"Yeah!" Liz said, grinning enthusiastically. This was a very cool adventure, and she didn't want it to end just yet. Remus, on the other hand...

"No. I think we should go back. This thing could lead to anywhere- it would be a lot safer to just go back now and-"

James pushed open the trapdoor a fraction. "It looks like the storeroom of a shop," he whispered. Sirius forgot his headache and poked his head up to look as well.

"Let me see," Liz pleaded.

"One sec, Ebony, give us a chance to look first." James pushed her away with his foot. She huffed and crossed her arms. After what felt like an eternity to her, but was really only about five seconds, James eased the trapdoor up and pulled himself through, with a little help from Sirius. Sirius was tall enough that he didn't need any help, and Remus, surprisingly, didn't either. Liz needed to give Peter a leg up; although he was about the same height as Remus, he had much more bulk. Finally, it was Liz's turn. She jumped as high as she could, reaching for Sirius' wrists, scrabbling for purchase on the wall with her sneakers. Remus and James reached down and grabbed the back of her sweatshirt, pulling her in. They lay panting on the floor.

"Liz," Sirius gasped. "For someone so short, you weigh a lot." Liz glared at him. "You really need to grow. Like, a foot at least."

"Good luck with that," Liz sighed. She rolled slowly to her feet and got her first look at the place. It seemed to be a basement storeroom of some sort, filled with what looked like broken magical instruments. She could hear the low murmur of voices above her.

"Any idea of where we are?" Sirius asked, looking at Remus expectantly.

Remus rolled his eyes. "I know just as much as you do."

"Well, that's a first," James said, tugging on something in his sweatshirt pocket. He managed to extract it with a flourish. "What say you we go have a look around?" It was his invisibility cloak. Liz's jaw dropped.

"We were running for our lives from Filch and you had that thing in there the whole time?" she demanded.

"Hey, I wasn't thinking straight! I was terrified!" James said defensively. He gestured for them to gather together and he threw the cloak over them. They crept up the stairs, freezing whenever they heard a creak. They cracked open the door at the top and looked in.

It was a dark, smoky smelling shop, filled with odd instruments that let off puffs of smoke or strange whistling noises. Several Hogwarts students milled around, examining the exotic variety of items.

"I think we're in Dervish and Bangs," Remus said as they slipped trough the door and into the shop. They wound their way to the door and into the bright, blessed sunlight. They went down a side alley, and after checking to make sure nobody was looking, James pulled off the cloak and they stepped apart.

"Where, now?" he asked, folding it into his pocket carefully.

"It's a magic item repair shop in Hogsmeade," Remus said.

"Hogsmeade?" Peter echoed, looking frightened.

"Hogsmeade!" Sirius, James and Liz echoed. The boys looked like Liz felt- excited.

"We're in Hogsmeade! That is so cool!" Sirius yelled. Liz clapped a hand over his mouth to shut him up.

"Do you want to let the whole village know we're not supposed to be here?" she hissed angrily.

"Sorry," Sirius mumbled into her hand. She removed it and wiped it on her jeans.

"So, Hogsmeade, huh? Where should we go first?" Liz said.

"Zonko's!" Sirius said at the same time as James, who said, "Honeydukes!" The two boys glared at each other.

"I want to go to Honeydukes," Peter said.

"Did any of us bring any money?" Remus asked. The Marauders looked at one another.

"Er, no?" Liz said. "Shoot. There goes another great idea."

"We could still go look around, though," James said happily. "I mean, it's a Hogsmeade weekend. Nobody will look twice at us. We'll have to come back in November when the rest of the students do. We can use today to look around."

"Sounds good to me," Sirius said, shrugging.

"So, could we go to Honeydukes?" Peter asked.

"Typical, Pete, always thinking about your stomach," Liz laughed. "But sure, why not?" And so they set off. Hogsmeade was decorated for Halloween, with pumpkins, gourds and jack-o-lanterns grinning at them from every direction. Black and orange streamers were visible through the windows, and Liz swore that one of the shrunken heads outside the Three Broomsticks winked at her-major creepiness.

Honeydukes looked amazing. It was crowded with students, all of them too busy examining the sweets to pay any attention to four small and one not-so-small first years. At the entrance, they just had to stop for a moment and gape. Licorice Wands, Droobles' Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Sugar Quills, Sherbert Balls, Acid Pops, Blood-Flavored Lollipops, and every other kind of sweet you could imagine, all in one room. Liz's mouth began to water when she saw the glass-topped counter in one corner filled with Honeydukes Best Fudge. Her eyes widened even further when she saw the small sign on the counter- _Free Samples_. Without giving the boys an explanation, she grabbed James' and Remus' wrists and dragged them to the back.

They spent perhaps half an hour in the sweetshop, spending the appropriate amount of time to drool over each new and exotic candy, before James and Sirius decided it was time to go to Zonko's. Since they were kind of the leaders, and it was now Sirius' birthday, the Marauders exited the sweetshop with their free samples of fudge and into the chilly wind.

Zonko's wasn't quite as packed as Honeydukes, but there were still enough students in there to keep the Marauders under the radar. James and Sirius were practically bouncing off the walls, running from one piece of merchandise to another, giving exclamations of delight with each new piece they found. Liz followed close behind. She felt like a small child at Christmastime. That reminded her-although Christmas was still two months away, she needed to start planning what to get for her friends. Something caught her eye- a large book of pranks sat on the shelf in front of her. She smiled. That was easy.

Liz checked to make sure her friends weren't watching, grabbed the book and hurried to the counter. The man behind it had to lean over it in order to see it properly. "How can I help you?"

"I'd like to get this book for my friend, for Christmas, but I don't have any money on me right now," Liz said. "I was hoping you could hold on to it for me until next Hogsmeade weekend? I'll come back with the money then."

"Tell you what," the man said, "Send me the money by owl. Just address it to Zonko- that's me, by the way- and I'll send you your book. Does that sound good?"

Liz beamed at him. "Perfect!" she said happily. Mr. Zonko took the book and set it under the counter. "That will be two galleons, and I hope your friend likes it." He half-glanced in the direction of James and Sirius. He leaned down and spoke in an undertone. "I'm not going to ask how you did it, but congratulations on being the first first years I know of to have made it to Hogsmeade without getting caught." He winked as Liz's mouth fell open.

"You won't tell, will you?" she said desperately.

"My lips are sealed," Mr. Zonko said, smiling.

**xxx**

"So, where do you want to go next?" James asked as they stepped out of Zonko's. "There's really no point in going to the Three Broomsticks, since we've already eaten and it'll look suspicious since we don't have any money."

"Ooh, I have an idea," Sirius said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He never seemed to run out of energy. "I heard some fifth years talking in Zonko's- there's this old house, kind of on the outskirts of Hogsmeade-" Liz noticed Remus had suddenly gone very still. "It was abandoned several months ago, but at the beginning of the school year, there have been noises coming from it."

"What kind of noises?" Peter asked. He had gone very white.

"Screams and howls and all sorts of stuff." Sirius was clearly enjoying the attention. "There's a rumor in Hogsmeade that a bunch of violent spirits have moved in, and nothing they do can make them go away. The house is silent most of the time, but just last week, the noise coming from it was apparently loud enough to be heard up at Hogwarts! The villagers have named it the Shrieking Shack."

"Cool!" James said, bouncing like Sirius. "Let's go check it out!"

"I don't think-" Remus said, but Liz, James and Sirius were already running. To Liz, this wasn't something to be frightened of, it was just another adventure, like the tunnel. They ran through the streets, down a side alley that quickly turned to dirt, and up a steep hill. Here, they had to stop and catch their breath.

"How- much- farther?" Liz panted, clutching a stitch in her side.

"Not- sure," Sirius gasped. "I just know it's up this hill." As they recuperated, Remus and Peter were able to catch up to them.

"I really don't think this is a good idea," Remus said stubbornly. Peter fell face-first onto the grass, worn out. Liz hauled him to his feet.

"Come on, it can't be far now," she said. They climbed up the hill, slipping in the grass every now and then, until they reached the top.

There was a wrought iron gate surrounding the old house, the tips of the bars looking sharp and lethal. Liz decided she wasn't about to climb over it any time soon. The house itself looked ominous and foreboding. The paint was peeling, and every window and door was boarded up, making it impossible to see inside or to get in somehow. The hairs on the back of Liz's neck prickled.

"Look, we shouldn't be up here, we should go back," Remus insisted.

"Don't tell me you're scared of whatever lives here?" Sirius scoffed. Remus frowned and shook his head, but Sirius had already turned away.

"I wish there were some way to get in," he mused. He pressed his face to the bars in an attempt to get a better look at the haunted building.

* * *

Remus fidgeted. His friends were still trying to find a way in to his building- the Shrieking shack- even though they'd been at it for what felt like hours. They'd managed to levitate one another over the fence (Liz was still complaining about the tear in her favorite sweatshirt) and were now prowling about outside, tapping on the walls, tugging at boards in an attempt to get in. He sighed. It was just a waste of time. The house had been enchanted to keep a werewolf in- keeping a couple of first years out wouldn't exactly be difficult.

They only went back when they realized the sun had started to dip toward the horizon. Sirius had wanted to stay for a little longer, but Remus insisted that Dervish and Bangs might be closing soon, and if that happened, how would they get back in the castle undetected?

The trip through the tunnel seemed shorter than it had the first time, and before they knew it, they were crowded behind the mirror once again. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, they casually stepped out and headed for the Great Hall. Unfortunately for them, Sirius was accosted by Filch, and was lead away to the caretaker's office. Sirius shot them a rueful grin as he turned the corner and was gone. When they were in the Great Hall, Liz was informed by Professor McGonagall that her detention for the library duel would be that night, in Professor Slughorn's office. So, after dinner, Liz bade them good-night and headed down to the dungeons, cutting the Marauders down to three. Remus, Peter and James went to Gryffindor Tower by themselves, wondering where Sirius could have gotten off to.

Outside the portrait hole, they ran into Alice Carole, who was crying. Her friend, Lisa Martinn, was running behind her. "It's alright, nothing happened," she was saying comfortingly. She spotted the Marauders and sent them a look that clearly said, _help me_. She looked shaken.

"Is something wrong?" Remus said gently, approaching the crying third year. Alice looked up, wiping her eyes.

"I th-think it was a boggart," she said, hiccoughing. "Lisa and I were poking around in some disused classrooms and I opened a grandfather clock and it kind of came out and I saw my parents d-dead-" she broke off as her body was wracked with sobs. Lisa patted her back.

"It was just a boggart, Alice," Lisa said. She looked at the boys. "Anyway, when the boggart saw me, it turned into this _massive_ snake. I grabbed Alice and we ran for it. I guess it went back to its cupboard or something, but I intend to let Professor McGonagall know about it first thing tomorrow morning."

"Actually," James said slowly, "Could you tell us where this boggart is? We can take care of it right now."

"Really?" Remus said.

"Really?" Lisa said. "That would be great, but you're just a couple of first years. How would you get rid of a boggart?"

James grinned. "We're pretty smart. I'm sure we can manage."

Lisa looked like she was going against her better judgement, but said, "Fifth floor, the old History of Magic Classroom. Know where that is?"

"Yeah, thanks! Come on, guys, there's some stuff we need to get." James grabbed Remus and Peter's wrists and dragged them through the portrait hole and into their dormitory.

"What in Merlin's name are you thinking?" Remus demanded as James shut the door. "We don't know how to fight a boggart!"

"I thought you might..." James muttered. "I mean, you were the one who knew all that stuff about Grindylows for Dranseau's essay last week. And Hinkypunks. And Kelpies. And-"

"All right, all right! I get what you're saying. I know the theory, but I've never had to fight a boggart before," Remus said irritably. It made sense to him that he should know so much about dark creatures, seeing as he was one himself. He suddenly froze as he wondered if his friends would make the connection. Then he shook himself. Now he was just being paranoid.

"If you know the theory, we should be good, then!" James said. He had crawled under his bed and was throwing out books, socks, broken quills, and a moldy bit of cheese before he managed to pull out a box. His parents sent him gifts from home occasionally, and Remus recognized it as one from just that morning. How it had gotten so far under the bed in so little time was beyond him. "We can use this to catch the boggart! At least, I think it should be big enough for one."

"So what are we going to do with the boggart once we've caught it?" Peter asked.

"We're going to put it in Dranseau's office."

There was silence in the room for a solid ten seconds.

"We're _what_?" Remus asked. Sure, he disliked Dranseau, but this... this was just asking for trouble. "Look, I really think this is a bad idea. We'll get in so much-"

James waved his hand impatiently. "Yeah, yeah, we'll get into so much trouble. I've heard it a million times, Remus!"

"But-"

"Dranseau deserves it for everything he's done to you," James said flatly. "Now, I'm either going to go with Peter and try and fight the boggart with no idea of what I'm doing, or you can come with us and keep our butts covered."

"I- oh, fine, but-" Remus wasn't really sure why he was protesting, but he couldn't very well let his friends go on their own.

"Great! Let's go!" James lead them out of the common room. As soon as they were out of the Fat Lady's sight, he threw the invisibility cloak over them and they set off.

The fifth floor History of Magic classroom was dark and silent when they peeked in the window. Nothing stirred, not even when James rapped experimentally on the glass. Peter jumped at the noise.

"Remember, the spell is Riddikulus," Remus whispered, "And you have to think of something funny when you use it."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," James said, slowly turning the knob. "Incendio," he said, pointing his wand at a nearby candle. It immediately burst into flame. James and Remus lit the rest of the candles in the room by themselves, since Peter had an unfortunate habit of setting everything but his target on fire. When the room was lit well enough for them to see, they turned to the grandfather clock in the back. The door quivered ominously.

"I think that's it," Remus whispered, pointing it out. Peter gulped, and even James looked apprehensive. Remus bit his lip. "Er, maybe I should go in front...?" He was mentally smacking himself for volunteering.

"We'll be right behind you," James said.

"Yeah... right behind you," Peter echoed feebly. Remus gripped his wand tighter and stepped forward.

"Alohamora," he said, pointing his wand at the latch. It sprung open and out came-

A full moon.

Remus gasped and stumbled back, tripping over his robes as he did so. He fell on the floor with a thud. Terror filled his heart as he stared, wide-eyed, at the innocent-lookign silvery orb.

James pushed Peter forward, and stepped in front of Remus. There was a crack, and the boggart was suddenly... half a slug? "Riddikulus!" James yelled. The slug was suddenly on a silver platter with a side of leafy greens and some kind of sauce. James jumped forward and trapped the boggart under the box.

Remus stood up slowly, his heart pounding. Now that the initial terror was over, a new kind of fear began overtake him- fear of discovery. His boggart was only too obvious, and James was smart. He'd seen his scars, and now this... it was only a matter of time.

"You alright, Remus?" James asked as he held out his hand. Remus took it and James puled him up.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he stammered. "Er, did you get it?"

"Yup." James proudly held out his prize. The box rattled, but James kept a firm grip on it. "Shut it, you."

"Are we going to put it in Dranseau's office now?" Peter asked. Now that the boggart was safely in its box, he seemed much more cheerful.

"Of course we are, what did you think?" James rolled his eyes at Remus as though to say, _can you believe this guy_? Remus laughed weakly as he pulled the invisibility cloak over the three of them.

When they reached Dranseau's office, they paused at the door, listening for any signs of the teacher. They heard nothing, and James eased the door open. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they saw it was empty. They looked around for the perfect place to set their trap. Remus' eye lit on the wardrobe in one corner.

"There," he said, pointing. Peter pulled the door open. James opened the box, shook it violently as a headless corpse tumbled out, and Peter slammed the door. The wardrobe wobbled for a moment, then was still.

"Let's go," James said. They pulled the cloak on once more and hastened for the door. They barely had time to shut it before Professor Dranseau came along the corridor. They held their breaths as he went inside. They didn't have to wait long.

After about five minutes of shuffling impatiently under the cloak, a terrified yell was heard from inside. The Marauders fled, shaking with silent laughter as they raced each other back to the common room.

* * *

**A/N: So, that's my explanation as to why nobody knows when Sirius' birthday is! Hope you liked it and found it plausible.**

**I got the bit about dumping them in the lake on their birthday from a summer camp I used to go to. You'd get thrown in the pool on your birthday, which made me sad, since my birthday is in the school year and I never got dumped. But I do get to be dumped in here! Yay!**

**I named Neville's mom Carole in honor of Louis Carroll, author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Requiem et pace. Or something like that.**

**Before you flame me about how Liz and Sirius are only eleven (twelve, whatever) just remember what I said about some wishes taking longer than others to come true. And I just get the feeling that Sirius is the kind of guy who started LIKING girls early. As for Remus/Liz fans (like me)... well, whoever said love was going to be easy? *cackles maniacally***

**Anyone else find it odd that the invisibility cloak seems to be forgotten a lot in fanfiction? That makes me sad... it's a really important part of the Marauders' pranking equipment, you know? *facepalm***

**Keep those reviews coming! They're what make me want to write faster, and better, than I normally would. I've nearly learned how to type for this! I never was able to type fast before, so you guys rock! Thank you!**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**

***_still_ reading The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien***

* * *

**Anonymous Reviewers:**

**foofooman3: **Levicorpus is nonverbal. At thanksgiving have them put fireworks in some of the turkeys. Whoo, exploding turkey.

**Yes, although Levicorpus is nonverbal, Snape wasn't thinking and yelled it out loud. Hey, they had to figure out the spell somehow. And Thanksgiving isn't celebrated by Brits- it's an American holiday, so they won't be doing anything for that.**

* * *

**JoeSax: **Don't try and cover it up. At least 1/3 of us have seen your drawings on deviantART so HA. And I did look in ebony's hand so don't go secretive or in denial

**I never said I was being secretive/in denial- I'm being cryptic. Yes, there's a bite mark on her wrist. Whoo. But before any rumor start flying around- no, she does not become a werewolf, because one is plenty in the Marauders. The last thing my series needs is a HOLY CLICHE overload.**


	14. Pumpkin Guts and Stuff

**A/N: Hey, wow, yeah, so, fourteen chapters and still going strong! I honestly can't believe I'd make it this far! All of you reviewers, favoriters, and whatnot are the best- Keep those reviews coming!**

**This chapter is dedicated to Lizaluvsdoggies, because she was the first person to review this chapter after an entire day and a half of no response. *crys* But your review made me so happy! And thank you to Hearts in Strangeness, windwalker28, and Millie-mae, who reviewed also, but sorry, this chapter is all for Liza. (foofooman3 doesn't count because he's my little brother :P)**

**I now have a map of the Gryffindor common room and a chibi of Ebony *squees!* up on deviantArt. Hope you guys like them.**

**I had someone ask how you pronounce Dranseau's name- it's DRANSHAW. Just in case you missed my earlier author's note. As for what his boggart turned into- I have no idea what that was. Let's go with a ballerina and leave it at that. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a pool, I don't own Filibuster's Fireworks, I don't own Stinksap, I don't even own Halloween. I _do_ own the pajamas I'm wearing, so that's gotta count for something, right?**

* * *

On Halloween morning, Liz woke at dawn to the smells of baking pumpkin and caramels wafting through the castle. Her stomach growled. She remembered with a pang of homesickness how she and her brother would go trick-or-treating around their neighborhood, and one of the local teenagers would always jump in their pool before her dad could chase them out. There was one memorable incident where the entire pool had been dyed orange, but it had never happened again, since her mother had set up wards.

Liz suddenly remembered she still had to finish her Charms essay for Professor Flitwick, which was due- when was it due again? Oh, Merlin, tomorrow! She groaned. Although she made a show to the boys about not being a stickler for homework after the incident with the mushrooms, she was actually terrified of getting kicked out of Hogwarts. So, she'd goof off in the common room with James and Sirius while Remus worked studiously on his homework and Peter sweated through his, then in the dormitory, she'd pull her hangings shut tight, light her wand and study until she fell asleep.

As a matter of fact, her Charms essay and textbook were lying under her head now, a small puddle of drool blurring out some of the words of her precious essay. She groaned again. "Scourgify." The drool vanished. "Reparo." The blurred words suddenly became readable. She studied it with a discerning eye. Perfect.

Liz worked on her essay until the other girls were just beginning to stir. She carfully put her things away, then hopped out of bed and dressed in a flash, making it out of the dorm just as Victoria was getting out of bed.

After the boys woke up (Remus with great reluctance), the Marauders went down to breakfast with great anticipation. In order to pull their prank off, there were still some last-minute supplies they needed to get.

When Liz had sent off for Sirius' book, she had also included some extra money, donated by James, for a case of Filibuster's Fireworks. The combustibles were sitting in her trunk right now, waiting for their big moment. After breakfast, they were planning on stopping by the kitchens, then the dorms, then they would camp outside of the Great Hall until everyone had gone. Liz was very glad Halloween fell on a Sunday this year. She didn't want her first holiday at Hogwarts spoiled by classes. Not to mention, it would be pretty hard, if not impossible, to pull off their prank without skipping class.

They ate quickly, then Liz and James headed for the kitchens while Remus, who had a headache, and Sirius went to the Hospital Wing. Peter went to the library to try and finish his own essay for Professor Flitwick.

"So, what do we need again?" James asked as they approached the suit of armor near the kitchens. It turned its head to watch them as they passed by. "It's some muggle tool for breaking ice, right?" They stopped in front of the painting.

"An ice pick," Liz replied absently. "We can use them to poke holes in the bottom of the pumpkins." She reached up and tickled the pear. When they were in, a house-elf hurried over to them. It wasn't Ikki.

"Hello, Miss Elizabeth and Master James," he said. "Rollo must apologize, Ikki is busy making the candy apples. What can Rollo do for you?"

"Can you get us an ice pick, Rollo? And some of those candy apples?" James said. Rollo bowed and scuttled off.

"Mmm, candy apples," Liz said dreamily. "I haven't had one of those in years. Do you think they'll be the normal kind or the kind with nuts on them?"

"Who cares? They'll be good either way," James replied.

"Just making conversation..."

"Oh." They stood in awkward silence for several moments until Ikki came running up to them, candy apples (no nuts) and the ice pick on a tray and a smile on her face.

"Happy Halloween, Miss Elizabeth and Master James! Ikki is wanting to come and see you, but I is busy making the candy apples, and Rollo comes up to Ikki and says Miss and Master are in the kitchens! So Ikki gets to see you!"

"Happy Halloween to you too, Ikki," Liz said. She knelt and gave the elf a quick hug, and retrieved their prizes. "We'll bring the ice pick back later, alright?"

"No, no, Miss, Ikki can get it when she cleans the Gryffindor common room! You just leaves it there and Ikki will get it!""

"Alright, Ikki, we will," James said. He took a bite out of his apple and a look of contentment spread on his face. "So... good..." he mumbled. Liz bit into her own apple. The flavors exploded in her mouth. Ikki had gotten the caramel to apple ratio just right.

"These are fantastic!" Liz exclaimed. Her apple was gone before she knew it. Liz stared longingly at the stick in her hands.

"Could we get ano-" She began, but James grabbed her by the back of her sweatshirt and pulled her out.

"Bye, Ikki!" James called as the portrait swung shut behind them. Liz scowled at him.

"Why didn't you let me get another one?" she demanded.

"Because," James said patiently as he dragged her up to the common room, "If you had your way, you'd eat every last apple in the kitchen, and Ikki would let you. Sirius would never forgive you if you did that, and, to be honest, neither would I. Butterbeer." The Fat Lady swung forward to admit them. Liz hurried up the stairs to the girls' dorm and dug the case of fireworks out of her trunk. She stuffed them under her hoodie and hurried to the common room to wait for James.

Somebody grabbed her shoulders from behind. Liz yelped and spun around, only to find nothing. "Gotcha!" James yelled. His head appeared from under the invisibility cloak. Liz swatted him.

"You prat, you scared me!" she said indignantly. James laughed.

"That was kind of the point." He took the fireworks from her and hid them in his bag. "C'mon, let's go get Pete and then we can go to the Hospital Wing and get the others."

They hurried down to the library to find Peter rolling up his barely dried essay, then took a shortcut to the Hospital Wing. They caught up with Remus, who was looking much better now, and Sirius, just outside the doors, and they went to the Great Hall together under the invisibility cloak.

The doors were open when they reached them. They peeked in to see the teachers setting up the decorations. Hagrid was rolling a gigantic pumpkin into place, then Professor McGonagall levitated it into the air. Professor Flitwick conjured a cloud of live bats from the tip of his wand, which began to flap about the hall. The Marauders ducked out of the doorway and looked at one another.

"Peter," Liz hissed, "You have that essay on you, right?"

"Yeah," Peter said, pulling it out of his bag, "Why?"

"Go in there and ask Professor Flitwick some stuff about it, then say something about the decorations and how long it'll take them to finish. I want to know how long we have until we can do this," Liz explained.

"Ask Flitwick about the essay... decorations... how long it will take," Peter repeated. A line formed between his eyebrows as he concentrated on remembering. "Got it."

"You got this, Pete," Remus said. He gently pushed Peter out from under the cloak, and the pudgy boy hurried around the doors and into the Great Hall.

After a few minutes, Peter trotted back out, looking around wildly for any sign of his friends. Sirius stuck his hand out from the cloak and Peter slipped underneath.

"What's the 411?" Liz asked. Peter, James and Sirius looked blankly at her. "Muggle term," Liz sighed.

"Er, well, Professor Flitwick said they're usually finished decorating by lunchtime," Peter said uncertainly.

"Perfect," Sirius said. "That gives us the rest of the morning to mess around, then after lunch, we just hang out until everyone's left the Great Hall."

"Is anybody looking?" James asked. Liz checked over her shoulder.

"I don't see anyone," she said.

"Me neither," Remus said. James pulled the cloak off and stuffed it in his bag.

"So, what do you want to do while we wait?" he asked as the last silvery fold disappeared into his bag. "Go exploring again?"

"Ooh, yeah!" Liz and Sirius said enthusiastically. Sirius began to bounce in place. He tended to do that a lot when he was excited, Liz had noticed.

Remus shook his head. "Could we please just hang out in the common room or something? I still have a headache."

Sirius snorted. "Please. I saw Madam Pomferey give you that potion myself. Your headache _doesn't exist_. You just want to get out of having fun for a change instead of studying."

Instead of protesting like he normally would have, Remus just sighed. he rubbed his temples. Liz frowned. She didn't doubt Sirius about the potion, but Remus didn't look like he was faking, either. "You guys go on ahead," Liz said. "I'll keep Remus company."

"You sure?" James asked. Sirius suddenly looked... was it angry? No, that wasn't it... What was going _on_ with her friends? Remus and Sirius were acting so strangely today.

"I'm sure," Liz said. She took Remus' arm and led him up the stairs. "See you guys later," she called.

"I'm fine, Liz," Remus protested as they took a shortcut through a wall that was really a door. Liz rolled her eyes.

"If you were fine, we'd all be going exploring together right now instead of you wanting to go back to the common room. And don't call me Liz. It's Ebony now."

"Not this argument again," Remus sighed.

Liz ignored him. "And you might have fooled the others, but not me. You enjoyed exploring. You just don't want to admit it because you're afraid the others will taunt you for not wanting to be all studious and whatnot. And you think there has to be a mature person in the group."

Remus gaped at her. "I do not," he protested, his cheeks coloring. "I really do think exploring is dangerous."

"So do I," Liz shrugged. "Doesn't mean I don't think it's fun."

"And you don't really think homework is lame," Remus added slyly. Liz stumbled.

"What?" She asked innocently, knowing her acting left much to be desired.

"You study in the dorms when everyone else is asleep, don't you?" Remus asked. "You never pay attention in class, and you never do your assignments, as far as I can tell, but you always get them back, and with rather high marks, too."

Abandoning all pretenses, Liz said, "Fine. I do, but only because I don't want James and Sirius to make fun of me actually wanting to do well in school. But how-?"

Remus shrugged. "I just pay attention."

"Well, so do I, yet I still haven't been able to figure out where you've been going!" Liz said irritably. Remus suddenly stiffened. "Look, I know I promised not to ask you, but you and I know that you aren't really going to visit your mum Tuesday like you told us. You've been having headaches for the past few days, you've been really grumpy-"

"I have not!" Remus yelled. Liz cocked an eyebrow. He scowled. "That doesn't prove anything," he muttered.

"I think it does. And I'm willing to bet you'll come back Thursday morning with another fresh set of wounds. That's what happened back in September, right at the beginning of the school year, and in October, about a week before Sirius' birthday. We're worried about you, Remus. Please, just _tell me_."

Remus whirled to face Liz, his expression a mixture of pain and sadness. "Look, Ebony, I can't tell you. You should just forget it. It'll only hurt you if you don't."

"But, Remus-"

"I said, forget it! Please, Eb?"

"No! You're my best friend, Remus, I can't just forget it!" Liz said stubbornly. Remus grabbed her wrists suddenly.

"You have to listen to me! Look, I'll never ask you to do anything else for me. Just don't worry about it. I can take care of myself." He stared at her, hard.

Liz threw his hands off and stared back. They stood in silence for several minutes, neither wanting to stand down. Liz briefly thought how irritating it was that Remus must've been several inches taller than she. Then again, most people were.

"Please?" Remus asked quietly. Liz sighed and bit her lip.

"Fine. You win," she said miserably. "Let's go to the library. I don't want to go to the common room right now." Liz spun on her heel and stomped down the corridor, not waiting to see if Remus was following. She din't want to risk running into Lily right then, since the redhead would probably try and get Liz to tell her what was wrong, and Liz just didn't want Lily to interfere in this. It was Marauders' business, and no one else's.

They walked to the library in silence. Remus cleared his throat a few times, as though he were about to say something, but fell silent each time this happened. Liz was fuming. Remus could be so thick sometimes, she just wanted to smack him! Why he didn't think he could trust her hurt more than she wanted to admit.

They spent the rest of the morning studying for their upcoming Astronomy quiz in the library. Rather, Remus didn't need to study, but he helped Liz with learning the names of Saturn's moons. She, in turn, did her best to help him learn the ingredients necessary for a potion to cure boils.

"So, the rat spleen goes in before the leech juice, right?" Remus asked.

"No, the leech juice, then the porcupine quills, then-"

"Well, hello, you two. We thought we might find you here," James said. Liz looked up.

"Oh, hey, guys," she said. "Is it time to do it yet?" Sirius shook his head.

"Not yet, but we figured you'd want lunch before we got everything set up. Am I right?"

"Yeah, you are. First time for everything, I guess," Liz said as she packed her books away.

"Hey!"

"So what did you guys do while we had fun? Study?" James asked incredulously.

"Yes," Liz replied shortly.

"But exams are ages away! We haven't even had Christmas break yet!" Sirius said. He pretended he was having a heart attack. "You're killing me!"

"Stuff it, Sirius, it's not like we made you join us." Liz rolled her eyes.

"But you're supposed to not like studying! Remus has brainwashed you!" Sirius insisted as they walked back to the Great Hall. "We can't have you going back to the way you were beforehand! How could you do this to us, Ebony?"

Liz and Remus exchanged glances. "I told you so," she said. Remus seemed to have nothing to say in response and simply shrugged.

Lunch was delicious, as always, but Liz was too excited about their prank to really taste the food. She felt a prickle on the back of her neck, and she raised her head to meet Lily's gaze. Lily was staring at her with an odd expression, and Liz suddenly realized- she _knew_. Liz stared back at Lily until the redhead lowered her eyes to her plate. But Liz could tell she was in for another fight after lunch. She sighed and picked at her salad, her appetite suddenly gone.

Lily finished eating and hurried out of the hall without her entourage, probably waiting just beyond the doors for the Marauders. She did not disappoint.

"I know you guys are up to something," Lily said, accosting them as soon as they left.

"Who, us?" James said innocently. Lily wasn't fooled.

"I've seen you whispering to one another when you think nobody's looking, and when you do, you're always checking over your shoulder to make sure you're alone. And all of you seem really hyper today- more so than normal, I mean. Tell me what you're planning, or I'll go straight to Professor McGonagall and tell her you're the Marauders."

"Liz! Why did you tell her?" Sirius wailed.

"She didn't," Lily said. "You did. Just now." She glanced at Liz, who flushed. She remembered that night in the dormitory when she had defiantly declared their name, and was grateful that Lily didn't rat her out. But what was she up to? Liz was willing to bet that Lily's silence would come with a steep price.

Sirius grumbled to himself. "Fine. But you can't tell anyone, alright?"

"And why should I do that?" Lily folded her arms.

"We'll do a favor for you," James said. "Help you with... studying-" he shuddered. "Or something like that."

"I don't need help studying. But I will take you up on the favor," Lily said. "And you have to tell me what you're planning."

The Marauders exchanged glances, coming to a silent agreement. "Fine," Sirius said. "We owe you a favor in the future. We won't tell you what the prank is, because we don't want to spoil the surprise, but I will tell you this-" he leaned in closer. "You might want to eat fast tonight. You have ten minutes before we set off the OW!" James had elbowed his friend, hard. "What was that for?" Sirius whined, rubbing his bruised ribs. Liz choked back her laugher.

"You were about to give it away, you prat," James said. He looked at Lily. "So, do we have a deal?"

"We have a deal," Lily confirmed. She held her hand out. James looked at it for a minute, his eyes wide. "What, do I need to give you time to spit on it?" Lily asked. Liz snorted, remembering their conversation that had led to their truce.

"Spit on it...?" James asked as he took Lily's hand. His cheeks flushed.

"Never mind."

"See you tonight, Evans," Sirius called as the Marauders went outside while Lily turned to meet up with her friends. She didn't look back.

"Well, this is a right fix you've gotten us into, Sirius," Remus said as they made for their beech tree. "Now Lily can blackmail us for anything in return for her silence."

"Yeah, good going, Sirius," James belittled.

"I don't think Lily is the type to do that," Liz said. "She'll call in our favor and then forget about it... unless she thinks we're planning another prank again."

"So, we'll just have to be less obvious next time," Sirius said, shrugging.

"Next time?" Remus sighed. "Why does there even have to be a next time? Heck, why are we pulling pranks in the first place when we could be doing something productive like-"

"Like pranking?" James laughed. "Lighten up, Remus, you are being absolutely no fun today."

"You mean every day," Sirius chimed in. Peter gave a high-pitched giggle. Remus stuck his tongue out at Sirius.

They spent several minutes talking excitedly about their prank before James decided they'd waited long enough. They hurried back inside, saying hi to Alice and Lisa as they passed, and opened the doors to the Great Hall. They peeked inside, and to their delight, it was empty. The floating, gigantic jack-o-lanterns leered at them from above.

"You guys ready for this?" James said quietly as he pulled out the box of fireworks, a ball of string, and the ice pick. Liz gave him a look as though to say, _do you really have to ask?_

"Here." James threw Remus the ball of twine. "You and Peter start tying those onto the fuses. The ones already on the fireworks aren't long enough. Sirius, you know what to do. Ebony, you're the smallest one out of all of us, so I need you to come with me." He repacked the ice pick, then handed his bag to Liz. She slung it over her shoulder, making sure it was secure. "Ready?" James asked, and she nodded. "Wingardium Leviosa."

Liz felt herself become weightless as her feet lifted off the floor. James levitated her up to the first pumpkin until she was level with the top, then she grabbed hold of the thick stem and scrambled so she was kneeling on the top. The pumpkin dipped and swayed under her weight, but Liz kept her balance. She lifted the 'lid' of the pumpkin and, sucking her stomach in, dropped inside. It was actually pretty roomy in the slimy interior, but the opening was so small she doubted anyone else could have fit inside. Liz waved to James through the jack-o-lantern's mouth. The damp insides left two wet patches on her knees. She wrinkled her nose.

"How many fireworks are we going to use in each pumpkin?" she called.

"Hang on," James called back. "Remus?" he asked, turning away. "How many fireworks are in that box?" Liz didn't hear the reply, but two modified crackers were tossed in James' direction. He caught them with another levitation charm and they joined Liz in the pumpkin. "Two each," James said. "We'd better make it quick, I don't know how much time we have."

"Didn't you bring your watch?" Liz asked irritably as she jabbed the ice pick into the bottom of the pumpkin. She realized the holes would have to be a little off-center, because the stems at the bottom were too thick for her to drill through.

"No, It broke when Sirius knocked me in the lake."

"You prat, it was busted way before then!" Sirius objected from his spot behind the head table where he was busy writing their message on the wall.

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

Liz ignored their bickering as she pushed harder against the ice pick. She was wondering if it simply wasn't going to go through when it suddenly did. Liz wriggled the pick around in the hole to make it bigger, then pulled it out. The hole was just the right size for two fuses. She fed the strings through, then snapped at James to quit arguing and to levitate her out of the pumpkin _right now_ because it _stank_ in there.

It took her about fifteen minutes to set up all the fireworks. Remus and Peter had long since 'improved' the fuses and Remus was now busy levitating Sirius to the tops of the pumpkins so he could fill the interior with Stinksap. When they were ready, they could light the fuses and wait for the pumpkins to explode, sending the Stinksap everywhere. Remus had found the perfect spell to do that- most spells that conjured fire left a trail behind them, but Incendio worked a bit like spontaneous combustion. Whatever you were aiming at would simply burst into flame, so nobody would be able to tell who was casting it.

Five minutes after Liz was finished, Sirius returned to earth. He was sweaty and smelled like a pie, and Liz knew she was probably worse since she had actually gone in the gourds. The Marauders looked at their handiwork with pride. The fuses were nearly invisible from ground level, so unless you knew they were there, you wouldn't see them. Their message was still glowing on the wall.

"Are you going to wipe that now?" Remus asked, indicating the gigantic letters.

Sirius waved his wand. "Obscuro." The letters vanished. "Perfect."

They headed up to the common room so Sirius and Liz could get cleaned up and drop their things off. Liz waved cheerfully to Lily as she passed her going down the staircase.

"Got everything set up then?" Lily asked. "You know you smell like a pumpkin, right?"

"Really?" Liz sniffed her hair. She did. "Oh, come on! I used almost an entire bottle of shampoo!"

"Don't worry, the smell will fade... eventually," Lily laughed. "I like your headband, by the way."

"Er, thanks?" Liz said uncertainly. It was a plain black band with an orange and yellow flower sewn on, nothing special.

"No, really, I do like it," Lily said. She lowered her voice. "Nobody's going to get hurt over this, are they? Because I know you had fireworks in your trunk and-"

Liz cut her off. "Lily, we might be pranksters, but we don't hurt people. Not intentionally." Lily bit her lip.

"Fine," she sighed. "But if anyone does, I'm going straight to Professor McGonagall."

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Liz said, stepping around Lily and hurrying down the stairs. Despite their truce, Liz still couldn't believe anyone could nag so much!

"I want to talk to you guys tonight after dinner," Lily added. Liz paused. "I've decided what I want for my favor."

Liz slowly turned around. "Not studying?" she asked warily. Lily smiled.

"No, actually. In fact, this sort of thing will be right up your guys' alley." Liz raised an eyebrow.

"I don't suppose you'd like to tell me now?" She asked.

"Nope," Lily said, enjoying dangling the surprise over Liz's head. "Later."

"Fine," Liz said sourly. "See you at the feast." She left Lily on the stairs and joined the Marauders.

"About time you came back," James said, looking up from the chess game he had started with Remus. Peter was watching apprehensively. Sirius grinned at her.

"Pretty headband, Eb," he said.

"Thanks," Liz said, glancing at Remus, half hoping he'd agree,but he was too busy egging on his knight as it wrestled with James' rook.

"Come on, squash it, it doesn't even have any arms!" Liz coughed. Remus looked up. "Oh. Hi, Li-Ebony," He corrected himself as she gave him a warning look. "I didn't hear you come down."

"Obviously," she said drily.

"NO!" James yelled as his rook was kicked off the board by the knight's horse. Sirius reached out and caught the piece before it fell in the fire. "Come on, Remus, just because I'm the only person you can beat at chess doesn't mean you have to be so vicious about it!"

"Checkmate," was all Remus said.

"You know," Liz said, sitting on the sofa next to Peter, "My mum has this really beautiful chess set she got for Christmas her first year- green jade with gold leaf accents. I've only gotten to use them once."

Sirius whistled. "That must've cost a fortune!"

"It was a combined Christmas/birthday present from both her parents and grandparents," Liz said. "They got it when they went with her to Diagon Alley and the grandparents paid them back."

"That's pretty cool," Remus said as he lined his battered chessmen up in their box. Liz glanced at them guiltily. She sounded like a prat, talking about her mother's fancy chess set when it was obvious that Remus', while well care for, were still old and not exactly expensive to begin with. Remus caught her gaze and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about it," he said quietly. "It's not your fault that you're better off, so stop beating yourself up about it."

"Is it time to go to dinner yet?" Peter asked as his stomach rumbled.

"Reckon so," Sirius said, stretching leisurely as he stood. He bounded over to the portrait hole with his odd, bouncing walk. "Are you slowpokes coming or what?"

**xxx**

"Well done."

"Rare."

"No, well done! Bloody meat is _disgusting_, I don't know how you can _eat_ it, Remus!"

"Bloody is the best! I don't know how _you_ can eat it well done, it's practically a piece of _charcoal_!" Remus indicated the steak on Liz's plate as he took a bite out of his own practically raw steak.

"Why are you two wasting time arguing over that? We only have two more minutes," Sirius hissed. Liz gave Remus an exasperated look and pointedly shoved another bite in her own mouth.

Liz glanced down the table to meet Lily's gaze. Her roommate was watching her apprehensively as she wolfed her own food down. Liz nodded and Lily stopped eating at once. Sarah and Victoria didn't seem to notice the exchange and were busy yammering away, oblivious to the fact that they would be going to bed hungry that night.

"Now," James whispered. The Marauders, minus Peter, drew their wands and aimed them under the table. "Incendio," they whispered. They had each agreed beforehand on what tables each would cover; James was lighting the pumpkins over the Slytherin table, Remus had the Ravenclaws, Liz took the Hufflepuffs, and the Gryffindors were Sirius' responsibility. Almost simultaneously, fifteen fuses burst into flame and began to work their way into the pumpkins.

Liz counted under her breath. "Three. Two. One."

**BA-BA-BOOM!**

The pumpkins exploded, bits of gourd flying everywhere, Stinksap covering everything and everyone as the fireworks continued to sizzle and pop overhead. Many of the students screamed, the Marauders included. They didn't want anyone to suspect them, after all. Not yet, anyway.

Once the fireworks stopped going off, Sirius waved his wand under the table. "Aparecium." Several people gasped as the glowing reddish gold letters appeared on the wall behind the head table.

_**Are you enjoying Halloween? Because we are!**_

_**-The Marauders**_

Liz fought to keep from giggling as whispers began to run around the Great Hall. She was covered in Stinksap and now smelled like a rotten pumpkin, she was still hungry despite having eaten as fast as she could, but this was undeniably the best Halloween she'd ever had.

"My hair!" Victoria wailed. "Look at my hair!" Liz privately thought the Stinksap 'do was an improvement.

Dumbledore stood up and with a wave of his wand, the Stinksap vanished. For some strange reason, the smell did not. Liz and Sirius exchanged looks. "I modified the smell a bit... I mean, the spell," Sirius whispered. Liz thought she might crack several ribs from trying not to laugh.

"Brilliant, Sirius," James whispered, his face twitching.

"Who did this?" Dumbledore said quietly, and the Hall fell silent immediately. Dumbledore's gaze swept the Hall, resting on Liz. She arranged her face into what she hoped was a puzzled expression. The Headmaster's penetrating stare made her feel like she was being x-rayed. It was creepy, to say the least.

Finally, he looked away. "Since nobody wishes to step forward, I will say this now- anybody with information on these _Marauders_-" again, he glanced at them, and Liz could swear she saw a hint of laughter on his face. "-are asked to tell their Heads of Houses." He waved his wand and the words vanished. "Now, I suggest we get back to our feast." He clapped his hands, and the spoiled food vanished, to be replaced by dessert. Liz automatically reached for the candy apples. As they ate, they listened to the conversation around them.

"The Marauders? Isn't that the group that pranked the Slytherins?" A Hufflepuff girl behind Liz was saying.

"I thought Millie Mae and her friends-"

"Modified the Stinksap-"

"Fireworks in the pumpkins! I would never-"

The Marauders exchanged grins. Even Remus was smiling. Liz looked at Lily. The redhead was trying to look disapproving, but quickly buried her face in her treacle tart to hide her laughter.

For the rest of the feast, the only topic of discussion was the prank and many, sometimes ludicrous, theories about who or what the Marauders were. James and Sirius enjoyed listening to the students, and Liz couldn't stop grinning. It was actually nice to be the center of attention, so to speak.

The Marauders returned to the Gryffindor common room with their Housemates, not saying anything, just listening to the discussions. They split at the staircases to the dorms, the boys going to their room and Liz to hers. She was delayed in bringing Lily to meet with them because Sarah and Victoria were hogging the two showers. When they finally got out, still smelling faintly of sewage, Liz and Lily hurried to get cleaned up and into their pajamas. Liz towel-dried her hair, leaving it sticking up in every direction, then stood by the door, tapping her foot impatiently while Lily carefully brushed her thick red locks. When she was done, they slipped out while the other girls were debating which perfume would get rid of the smell the best. Liz thought she'd rather have the Stinksap stench than have to smell Victoria's horrid perfume, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

The girls paused outside the boys' dorm. There was quite the commotion coming from behind it, muffled shouts of laughter and thuds that sounded like pillows hitting other pillows. Lily pushed open the door before Liz could warn her and was promptly hit in the stomach by a pillow Sirius had just sent flying.

"Oh! Sorry, Evans!" He hurried to retrieve it. James froze in place on his bed, his arms raised, about to bring his pillow down on Peter's head. Remus was hiding on his own bed in the corner, pillow raised to ward off any attacks.

"Evans! What are you doing in here?" James yelped.

"Liz invited me," Lily said, throwing Sirius' pillow at his chest. "I've come to ask you to make good on your promise."

"Already?" Remus asked as he cautiously put his pillow down. Sirius swung around and threw his, catching Remus in the face. "WATCH IT, YOU IDIOT!" he bellowed, hurling the pillow viciously to the floor. Sirius froze. Liz frowned. This was just like last month, when Peter had accidentally spilled the soup. Remus was just acting downright weird.

Lily looked cautiously at Remus. "Yes, already," she said, edging into the room. Liz shut the door behind them with a snap. Lily jumped.

"Sorry," Liz said apologetically. She plunked herself down on Sirius' bed without being invited and motioned for Lily to sit next to her.

"Hey, where am I supposed to sit?" Sirius asked.

"The floor?" Liz shrugged. "You wouldn't make a couple of girls sit there, would you?" Sirius stuck his tongue out at her, grabbed the pillow he'd thrown at Remus, and lay down in the middle of the room.

James was still frozen on the bed, his face almost as red as Lily's hair. Liz wondered why briefly before realizing that neither James nor Sirius was wearing a shirt. Although Sirius no longer seemed shy about it, James was clearly wishing he were dead right now. She snorted. How hard was it to wear a shirt to bed? Guys were very strange sometimes. James finally recovered his composure and sat down, pulling his quilt around his shoulders. "How hard would it have been to let us know you were bringing a girl into the room?" he demanded.

"Do I not count?" Liz asked, pretending to be insulted. "Because last I checked, I'm pretty sure I was a girl."

"You don't count, you're- I dunno- different. But Evans isn't a Marauder, she's a _girl_!"

"I believe we've already established that fact, Potter," Lily said cooly. "Now, are you going to listen to me or am I going to have to get Professor-"

"Alright, alright, I'm listening!" James said hurriedly. "How may we help you, Miss Evans, so you do not get our sorry butts landed in detention?"

Lily's mouth twitched. "Okay, well..." Now that the moment had come, she suddenly seemed nervous. "You see, back at home, on Christmas, my parents used to take me and Tuney-"

"Tuney?" Sirius asked from the floor.

"My sister, Petunia. Our parents used to take us ice skating on Christmas Day, but I'm not going home this year."

"Why not?" Liz asked. She groaned inwardly. She had been hoping to have the dorm all to herself for a change.

"It's... complicated," Lily said sadly, and Liz suddenly wondered if Lily didn't have the perfect life after all. "Anyway, I was hoping you might... well..."

"Spit it out," Remus said.

Lily took a deep breath, looking like she was about to say something that went against her good judgement. "I was hoping you might be able to turn the Great HAll into an ice skating rink on Christmas Day."

The Marauders stared at her, stunned. "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Lily Evans?" Remus asked faintly. Lily glared daggers at him and he held his hands up. "Okay, okay, if that's what you want..."

"It is," Lily confirmed. "I figured you could sign it from the Marauders, and any students who stay for the holidays could use it. You wouldn't even need ice skates, though they are pretty fun to use. It's not exactly a prank, but it would be pretty good to add to your list."

A slow grin was spreading on James' face. "I like where you're going with this, Evans," he said. Almost unconsciously, he ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up even more. "Alright, you get your wish. We'll ice over the Great Hall, and you don't breathe a word to McGonagall." He jumped up suddenly and smashed his pillow on Sirius' head. "Free-for-all!" he yelled. Lily was out the door in a flash, but Liz could hear her laughter as the redhead hurried back to her dorm.

Liz lunged for the pillow under Sirius' head and threw it at James. The dorm suddenly became a war zone, pillows flying and children shrieking with laughter. Even Remus joined in after the other four decided to corner him. At last, utterly exhausted, the five Marauders fell asleep together in the middle of the floor.

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**A/N: ****So, Lily's blackmailing the Marauders- in exchange for her silence, they have to turn the Great Hall into an ice skating rink! Who would have guessed Lily would stoop to their level? :3**

**Before I get any complaints about the Stinksap not oozing out of the jack-o-lantern holes, please just go with it. Suspension of disbelief and all that. It was the best prank I could think of.**

**I'm thinking I'll just write this from Elizabeth's POV most of the time to save me the headache, and switch it around only when absolutely necessary. I'm sorry, but it's just really hard to try and give all the Marauders an equal time when Elizabeth's my main character in this. So, anyone who liked the different POVs, I apologize.**

**The spells Sirius used are ones I found in the Harry Potter series. Obscuro was used to blindfold Phineas Nigellus, but I decided to go ahead and use it for this, and Aparecium was used by Hermione to try and read Tom Riddle's diary. I don't know what it does, but I figured if she was using it to make invisible words visible, then why not use it for this too?**

**Three reviews. That's all I'm asking for this chapter. I'm not saying I'll quit if I don't (because that's just rude), but reviews are like coffee- they give me the energy to get things done. Please. Just three reviews. If you want, you can even review thrice anonymously with different usernames, I DON'T CARE as long as it _LOOKS_ like different people :P But, Lizaluvsdoggies and Foofooman3- I can tell if it's you, so please don't try. I will just get annoyed.**

**I don't think I can make that request any clearer, so I will leave it at that. I _do_ reply to any and all reviews, so if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask and I'll reply ASAP. Even a simple happy face makes my day.**

**The next chapter should hopefully be up by next Saturday or Sunday at the latest. I try to get them out earlier than that, but once school starts up in August, I'll go back to posting every Saturday.**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**

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**Anonymous Reviewers:**

**Foofooman3: **Remember there is a room in the Passage behind the mirror that sirius says they can use 4 da meetings in the 5th Book. Great chapter. When will they find out that lupin is a werewolf?

**No, it was a ROOMY passage. Not a room in the passage. But thanks for trying, anyway. They will find out Remus is a werewolf about a month before school gets out for the summer. Like I said, I got impatient and wanted to make it first year. :3**


	15. See You Next Year

**A/N: All righty, then! Chapter fifteen! (Woot, woot!) I can't believe I went from 60 reviews to 70 in such a short amount of time! Hugs and virtual muffins to everybody who reviewed, favorited, and everything! And holy moly- 1,706 hits and 574 visitors? Very nice. :) But really, think how many reviews that could be if everyone who read this reviewed? *sighs dreamily* So, please review!**

**I've got a bit of a time jump in here, to early December. Snowflakes and fluffiness! Squee!**

**Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling, unless J.K. Rowling is a barely-tenth grader who spends her summer vacation reading, writing, and drawing for fanfiction. Oh, and sleeping. I like sleeping in, unless it's Christmas. Then I'm the first one up. :P**

**Oh, and I don't own the idea for the card game Veritaserum. I got that from another fanfic. I don't remember which one, but thank you for coming up with such an awesome idea!**

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Before Liz knew it, November had come and gone. Remus went to visit his sick mother, and came back Thursday, just like Liz said he would, but luckily without any injuries, as far as they could tell. Gryffindor had managed to pull ahead to second place in the House Cup thanks to a spectacular Quidditch match resulting in the total annihilation of Slytherin. Professor McGonagall had come around with a list of students who wanted to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas. The list was surprisingly short- from the stories Liz's mother had told her, about a fourth of the students usually stayed over the holidays. This time, however, it was just the Marauders minus Remus, Lily, Alice Carole, her friend-not-yet-boyfriend Frank Longbottom, and, to Liz's displeasure, her batty cousin Sybill.

"I don't get it, Remus," Liz said one evening as the Marauders lounged in the boys' dorm. "Why don't you want to stay over the holidays? The rest of us are, and hardly anyone else is, and the school is supposed to be so beautiful, with these huge Christmas trees and real snow falling in the Great Hall, and I'll be so lonely without you-" she shut her mouth, hoping he hadn't heard her last words.

Remus shrugged and pulled a thick sweater over his pajamas. "My mum's sick again. I don't want to leave her alone over the holidays."

"But your dad will be there, won't he?" James asked, propping his head up on his hand. "Why can't you stay with us?"

"Mum just wants me to come home," Remus mumbled. Sirius let out a bark like laugh.

"So? It's not like you have to, so why-" Liz glanced at him. He took the hint and fell silent. "Sorry," he muttered.

"It's alright," Remus said, smiling faintly. He yawned. He'd mysteriously caught the 'flu' several nights ago and had to stay in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomferey, who refused to let them visit again, had insisted he needed to rest, but it certainly didn't look as though he'd gotten any. Three days after his 'recovery', there were still dark circles under his eyes. On the bright side, though, he was no longer snapping at the slightest thing.

"So what do you guys want to do?" James asked, dropping his hand and letting his head fall onto the bed. "I'm bored."

"You're always bored," Remus said. "You could do something productive, like finish the homework the teachers assigned for break."

"I thought the last day of break was reserved for that," Sirius said in mock surprise. Liz rolled her eyes.

"Maybe not the last _day_," she said. "I prefer the last ten minutes."

"What do you want to do, though?" James said. "Not homework," he added as Remus opened his mouth. "Gobstones?"

"We played that yesterday," Liz said. "Chess?"

"I'm rubbish at that, and it's only two people," James sighed. "Exploding Snap?"

"Nah, I don't feel like trying to regrow my eyebrows again," Sirius said.

"We could play Truth or Dare," Liz said halfheartedly,

"That's a girl's game!" Peter protested.

"Well, there's this one game my brother and I would play sometimes," Liz said. "We called it the word game. I'd say a word, then he'd have to take the last letter and use it to start a similar word. Like, I'd say Quidditch, he'd say hoop, that sort of thing."

"I guess," James said uncertainly. "Can I start?"

"Sure."

"Quidditch," he said. "Sirius' turn!"

"Hoop," Sirius said, grinning at Liz. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Patrick," she said. Patrick Wood was the Gryffindor keeper. He was a brilliant player, but this was his last year at Hogwarts. Gryffindor would be hard-put to win once he left.

"K... hmm..." Remus thought about it. "I've got nothing."

"Let's play something else!" Sirius said.

"Like what?" James asked.

"...I dunno."

"Want to go bug Snivellus?" James said, grinning. Sirius shrugged.

"Ah, let's leave him. We can get him tomorrow- I just don't feel like getting up right now."

"Hey, guys!" Peter said suddenly from his spot on the window ledge. "It's snowing!" Sirius, who obviously didn't feel like getting up right then, shot up and was at the window before Liz could blink. She slid off Remus' bed and hurried to the window. James stuck his head over her shoulder.

Sure enough, fat, white flakes were falling slowly from the sky. Liz caught her breath. It hardly ever snowed back at home during Christmas. She'd only seen snow once, when she was too little to really remember. The snow began to fall, thicker and faster, until the entire world outside the window had turned white.

"Awesome," James said. "If this keeps up, we can have a snowball fight tomorrow! Me and Sirius versus you losers." Liz cuffed him on the ear. "Hey!"

"You asked for it," she said, turning her attention back to the window. Sirius, James and Peter slowly ambled away, but Liz stayed where she was, hypnotized by the swirling snow. Remus joined her at the window.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said softly, laying her hand on the icy glass. Her breath fogged it up and she quickly wiped it away. "Remus?" He was staring at the snow, his expression unfathomable. "Remus?" she tried again. He didn't seem to notice.

"It was snowing that night..." he whispered, almost inaudibly. He shivered, rubbing his shoulder, only then seeming to realize she was looking at him. "What did you say?"

"I said it's beautiful, isn't it?" Liz said, looking at him curiously. He seemed so sad.

"Oh, yes, beautiful..." Remus trailed off, still staring out the window. A crease formed between his eyes. Suddenly, he reached out and flicked the latch up.

"No, Remus, it's freezing out there, don't-" Liz protested, but he'd already pushed it open. Snowflakes swirled into the room on a blast of frigid air.

"Are you _mental_?" Sirius howled, diving under his blankets. "Shut the window!" Remus snatched something out of thin air, then slammed the window shut. He held his fist out to Liz and opened his hand. Her eyes widened.

Resting on his palm was a perfect six-pointed star, an intricate pattern of ice crystals connecting the points. Liz only had a second to admire it before it melted.

"Wow," she breathed. Remus grinned shyly at her.

"I didn't think I'd get such a good one," he said, embarrassed. "I used to catch snowflakes when I was a kid, and-"

Liz hugged him. It was spontaneous, she didn't even think, she just threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. After a moment, he hugged her back. Liz suddenly pulled away, her cheeks burning.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," she muttered as she hurried to the door.

"'Night, Eb," James called as she darted up the girls' staircase. She ran into Alice, who was on her way down, wearing a soft blue dress that fell to her knees.

"Hey, Elizabeth, right? How's it going?" Alice smiled at her, her round face glowing with excitement.

"Er, fine," Liz muttered. She gave the dress a quick once-over. "What's the occasion?"

"Oh!" Alice blushed. "Professor Slughorn's throwing his yearly Christmas party tonight, because so many of the students are leaving over break. It's for fourth years and up, but you're allowed to take younger students, so Frank invited me."

"Oh, well, I hope you have fun, then," Liz said. Alice's happiness was contagious. She was one of those people who, when she smiled, made you want to smile as well. Where she got her limitless supply of happiness from, Liz could never tell.

"Good night, Elizabeth," Alice called as she bounced down the stairs. Liz watched her go, silently wished them a happy time, and entered the dorm. Lily, Sarah and Victoria were playing Veritaserum, a card game kind of like the Truth part of Truth or Dare. You drew a card, read it aloud, and everybody had to answer. The cards were actually impregnated with the truth potion, so you were magically compelled to answer honestly.

"Best present you've ever gotten?" Lily asked, drawing a card. "Mine would be the ice skates I got last year for Christmas." She handed the card to Sarah.

"My cocker spaniel, Skippy," Sarah said. Victoria took the card.

"My grandmother gave me this necklace," she said, pulling it out from under her shirt. It glinted in the candlelight, the many-faceted crystal sending little rainbows dancing around the room. Lily spotted Liz when she walked in.

"Oh, hi, Liz," she said as she took the card back. "Do you want to play?" Liz shrugged. Maybe it would help her forget her rash decision to hug Remus.

"Sure," she said, going over to them.

"Best present you've ever gotten?" Lily asked again, handing the card to Liz.

She opened her mouth to say her owl, but what came out was, "A snowflake." She blinked.

"Sorry...?" Sarah said. "Did you just say-"

"I- I don't feel like playing, actually," Liz said, dropping the card on the table. "'Night, y'all." She pulled her trunk open and began getting ready for bed. So much for forgetting about Remus.

**xxx**

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" James yelled. Liz ducked as Sirius threw a snowball her way, but she was too slow and it hit her in the back. She ran for it, hiding behind the beech tree with Remus and Peter.

"Any suggestions?" she asked, slapping her mittens together to get rid of the snow crusted on them.

"We need a better barricade than this lousy tree," Remus said, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"I'm pretty good at making snow forts," Peter offered, his teeth chattering. James had snuck up behind him and dumped a handful of snow down his shirt. He was still shivering.

"Then get on that. Ebony and I will start stacking up snowballs." While he was speaking, Remus had already made a few himself. The snow was perfect- not too dry and powdery, and not too slushy. It had fallen, just as James had hoped, hard and fast through the night, and was still falling. Liz was already up to her knees in the stuff, and Peter and Remus weren't far behind.

"Don't you think Sirius and James will try to ambush us while we work on this?" Peter asked, pausing to catch his breath before going back to work rolling his gigantic snowball.

Liz looked up. The hazy figures of the two boys were scrambling around, piling snow up in attempt to construct their own fort. "They're busy right now," she said, packing more snow onto her snowball.

Their pile of ammunition grew steadily larger, but Liz and Remus had to stop before long to help Peter stack his snow boulders on top of one another to create a sort of igloo. Peter then helped them to move their ammo into the fort.

"Does it seem a bit... quiet to you?" Liz said suddenly. Remus and Peter froze. The shouts and yells coming from James' and Sirius' side had suddenly ceased. "I'm going to go take a look." She scooped up an armful of snowballs, dumped them in her cloak, and crept to the enemy's fortress. She was startled to find they weren't hiding behind it. "Where did they go...?" she muttered. Liz whipped around as the sounds of Peter's and Remus' yells reached her ears. James and Sirius must have ambushed them using the invisibility cloak!

Liz almost took off running to help her comrades, but she noticed the pile of snowballs sitting against the fort wall. She gathered them up in her cloak and sprinted back to her own fort.

"Take that!" she yelled, throwing a snowball at Sirius' head. It exploded against his head with a _fft_! noise. Sirius whipped around.

"Come to get the same treatment as your buddies?" he yelled, grabbing another snowball from his own cloak. It hit Liz in the stomach. Liz threw another, this time at James. It missed his glasses by an inch, but certainly caught his attention. He turned away from Peter, who he'd cornered in the igloo, and faced Liz. She backed up. Facing one Marauder alone, fine. Two? Definitely _not_ fine. She had no hope of dodging anything, since she was weighed down by her stolen snowballs. Liz dropped to the ground, shielding the snowballs with her body and her head with her hands.

"Get her!" James yelled. Liz was pounded from two sides by snowballs, until she heard Remus and Peter yelling and the barrage suddenly stopped. Cautiously, she raised her head in time to see James and Sirius running back to their fort.

"You can get up now. James and Sirius ran out of snowballs, I expect they've gone to get more- where did you get _those_?" Remus asked as he helped Liz up. She smirked.

"I think they're about to be in for a nasty surprise," she said, grinning impishly. Sure enough, they heard James' howl as they discovered their fort had been raided. "Are you up for a little ambush?"

"Are you kidding?" Remus asked, grinning. Liz quickly divided the snowballs three ways, and they walked, slowly and deliberately, to the other fort. "Peter, you come at them from the left, I'll go in from the right, and Remus, you go straight down the center. We'll trap them against the greenhouses."

James and Sirius were madly trying to scrape together enough snowballs for a counterattack, but it was useless. Seeing the three approaching, they turned and ran.

"After them!" Liz yelled. They chased James and Sirius past the Whomping Willow, through the empty vegetable gardens, and trapped them against greenhouse one.

"Maybe we can talk it out?" James suggested, his eyes darting from face to face. None of them showed mercy.

"You used the invisibility cloak, you cheaters!" Remus said. "And cheaters must pay!"

"It was worth it," Sirius said, grinning. "Fire away!" He and James raised their wands. "Bombarda!" The snow under Liz's, Remus' and Peter's feet exploded, blinding them totally.

"Throw!" Liz yelled, still unable to see. She began throwing snowballs as hard as she could at the boys' general direction. She could her Remus and Peter doing the same, and James' and Sirius' yells whenever a snowball hit it's target.

"What are you children doing?"

"Uh-oh."

Liz wiped the snow out of her eyes. Professor Sprout had just come out of greenhouse one and had been promptly nailed by a snowball, judging from the white powder in her hair. Liz held her breath, certain a detention was coming, but all the Herbology teacher did was laugh and brush her hair clean. "Would you mind taking your snowball fight elsewhere? I don't want you to accidentally hit one of the plants."

"Yes, Professor," they chorused. They watched her stump up to the castle.

"That was close," James laughed. "Who stole our snowballs?"

"Ah, that would be me," Liz said. Sirius growled at her.

"And you call us cheaters?"

"Okay, first off, I didn't, Remus did. And secondly, stealing snowballs and turning invisible are completely different!"

"How do you figure?" James asked. He pulled his cloak off and shook it out. Liz shrugged.

"I just do."

Peter shivered. "Can we go inside? I'm freezing!"

"Oh, grow up, Pete, it's not that cold," James said, but Remus shrugged.

"I don't know, I could use a hot drink right about now," he said. What I wouldn't give for a butterbeer right now..." Liz sighed happily, remembering their last Hogsmeade trip when they'd eaten lunch at the Three Broomsticks. Butterbeer really was as good as everyone said, if not better.

"I don't know, hot chocolate sounds pretty good, too," Sirius said. "Not to mention, we could actually get some from the kitchens."

"Hot chocolate does sound pretty good," Liz said. She grinned. "But it'll taste much better!" James smacked her upside the head.

"Fine, we can go to the kitchens," he said. They waded through the deepening snow, pausing to throw a few snowballs at Snivellus, then getting delayed because James suddenly found himself suspended by one ankle above the ground.

"Let him down, Snivellus!" Sirius said. "Tarantallegra!" Snape's legs flew out of control, kicking snow everywhere.

"Sirius, please, just let it go," Remus said quietly.

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, right. Scourgify," he said, and Snape's mouth began to fill with fluffy pink bubbles.

"That's interesting," Liz said, studying the Slytherin as the bubbles dribbled out of his mouth. "It seems that when you use that on people, you get a different effect-"

Snape pointed his wand at himself. Although he couldn't speak, the bubbles suddenly vanished. Liz blinked. Had he actually used a nonverbal spell? No, she was just seeing things.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Snape cried. Sirius' arms and legs snapped together and he fell over, stiff as a board.

"Rictusempra!" Liz yelled. Snivellus doubled over, wheezing with laughter.

"Liz, please stop," Remus pleaded.

"Go, Ebony!" Peter cheered.

"Flipendo!" Liz's spell sent Snape flying backward and James dropped to the ground. He raised his wand, pointing it at the figure curled into the fetal position in the snow. The blood drained out of Remus' face.

"Levicorpus!" James said, and now it was Snivellus dangling in the air-

"James, STOP!" Remus yelled. His hands were shaking. James turned to him, not lowering his wand.

"Why?" he asked, sounding like a child who was told to go to bed.

"What did he do to you? Come on, James, let it go," Remus said. "He's had _enough_."

James scowled. "Fine." He flicked his wand and Snivellus dropped back to the ground in a heap. "Expelliarmus!" Snape's wand flew into James' hand. James threw it behind him. "Can't have the slimy git trying to curse us, can I?" he said defensively at the look on Remus' face.

"Let's just go," Remus said quietly. "Finite Incantatem." Sirius groaned and stood up.

"Why'd you make us stop, Remus?" he asked angrily. "Just when we were starting to have some fun-"

"It was three against one! Mighty brave of you Gryffindors, making sure it's impossible for you to lose!" Remus snapped as they pushed their way through the snow and back to the castle.

"Hey, all we did was throw a few snowballs. Snivellus jinxed us first," James said, though he looked slightly ashamed of himself.

The hot chocolate, courtesy of Ikki, was delicious, but Liz still had a bitter taste in her mouth after she'd drained her mug. Hexing Snape had been fun, especially after having been called a mudblood, but... three against one? Was Remus right, and Snape din't deserve what he got? Well, maybe some of it. But-

"Did you see the look on his face when his mouth was filled with bubbles?" Peter chortled, wiping his mouth, and Liz forgot her musings as she, Sirius and James jumped in the retelling of their attack. She didn't notice the look of disapproval on Remus' face.

* * *

Remus couldn't believe his friends. Ganging up on Snape like that was just _wrong_. Sure, it had been kind of funny to watch him whirl around when the snowballs had hit him in the back of his head, but the resulting fight just left a sick feeling in his stomach. Seeing Snape curled up in the snow like that had brought back memories he'd rather keep pushed away.

Liz's jinx hit Snape in the chest, sending him flying into a snowdrift-

_The wolf swatted him, sending him flying-_

Snape curled up, trying to protect his head-

_The pain was unbearable, his shoulder on fire from where it had bitten him-_

Snape was lying in the snow, James raised his wand-

_The wolf advanced on him, it's massive paw raised to_ _attack. He curled up in a ball, blood streaming from his shoulder and back-_

"Levicorpus!" James yelled, and Snape was dangling in the air-

_The wolf clawed at him, tearing his cheek open. "Help me!" he screamed, but there was nobody there to help. He was all alone-_

"James, STOP!" Remus had stopped his friends to save himself just as much as Snape. The memories were becoming unbearable, there was no way he would have been able to stay standing if he hadn't said something.

He stared into his mug of hot chocolate, not listening as his friends retold what they considered a great victory. _They wouldn't think it was so great if they knew what it was like, to lie helpless in the snow with no one to help you_, Remus thought bitterly.

Liz stood and stretched. "We should probably get to the library if we're going to have Lily's ice rink ready for Christmas," she said. "You guys done yet?"

"Just a sec," James said. He drained his mug and set it down as well. "Okay, now I'm ready."

They spent the rest of the day in the library, trying to find a spell that would allow Remus' friends to ice over the entire Great Hall. They found several, but all of them were too complex for any of them to pull off just yet.

"Here's one," James said, tapping a dusty volume. "Glacius. Looks like it's about a third year spell, but I think we can manage it."

"I just had a thought," Liz said, shutting her own book, "If we sign this from the Marauders, well, there's only going to be a few kids staying over the holidays. It probably wouldn't be that hard for the teachers to put two and two together and guess it's us."

"That would be a problem," Sirius said. He gnawed the inside of his cheek. His eyes lit up. "I think I know what to write. Don't worry, we'll do this, and it will be great!  
"So can we go now? I think I'm developing an allergy to books." Sirius pretended to sneeze.

Remus rolled his eyes. "You've spent three hours in here without sneezing once. I think you'll survive another ten seconds."

"Ten seconds too long...can't breathe... I see a light at the end of the tunnel..." Sirius gasped.

"Fine, we can go," James said. He grabbed Sirius by the scruff of the neck and hauled him out. Liz, Peter and Remus followed.

"I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow," James said as they climbed the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.

"Believe it," Remus muttered. He really did want to stay at Hogwarts, but there was a second full moon this month. If he stayed, that would be all his friends would need to discover his secret.

"So, do you want to wait until after Christmas for your presents or something?" Sirius said. "Or do you want them now?"

Remus tripped. He wasn't expecting them to get him any presents for Christmas! He could feel his cheeks going red as he stuttered. "P-presents? You didn't have to g-get me anything!"

"Stop talking nonsense, of course we did! We're your friends!" Liz said. "I think we should give you them now, don't you?" She addressed this last bit to the others. They nodded. Remus could feel his face getting hotter.

Once they were back in the dorm, James forced him to sit on his bed while Liz went up to her dorm to retrieve her present. James and Peter dug in their trunks, pulling out two brightly wrapped parcels. Liz returned with her gift hidden behind her back and they all sat on the bed with Remus, jostling one another for a spot.

"Open ours first," Sirius said as James dumped his present in Remus' lap. "It's from me and James." Remus simply looked at it. "Well? Go on."

Remus carefully began to lift one corner of the paper when Liz grabbed his wrist. "You're doing it wrong," she said, tutting. "You're supposed to rip it off! At least act like you're excited to get a present!" Remus sighed and ripped the paper off violently, drawing a whoop of appreciation from James. Remus looked up.

"Dungbombs...and Stink Pellets," he said. He raised an eyebrow. "Thanks, guys."

"So enthusiastic," Liz laughed. She handed him his next present. It was about the size and shape of a large book. He wasn't disappointed.

"_Greek and Roman Mythology_," he read. "Thanks, Liz!" There was a thin wooden bookmark about halfway into the book. Remus opened it to find the story of the twins Romulus and Remus, for which he was named. Remus was an only child, so why his parents had decided to name him Remus always mystified him. Bit of an ironic coincidence, now that he thought about it.

"Mine next!" Peter said. He'd gotten Remus a gigantic box of Chocolate Frogs- very nice.

"I- this is great, you guys," Remus said after a moment. "Thanks so much." He shoved Sirius gently out of his way and went over to his trunk.

"What are you doing?" James asked. Remus didn't answer, too busy searching for his own presents. He finally found them and straightened up.

"Do you remember when I asked Lily to take that picture for us back in November?" he asked. "Well, these are for you guys... they aren't as great as your presents, but-"

"Just show us already!" Sirius said. Remus held them out.

Four copies of the same picture sat in his hands. The five Marauders were standing, arm in arm, roaring with laughter, under their beech tree. As they watched, the photographic James let go to punch Sirius in the arm and the two got into a mock scuffle as Peter egged them on and Liz and Remus laughed.

"This is great!" James exclaimed. "Remus, don't sell yourself short, it's amazing!"

"It's perfect," Liz aid, smiling at him. He felt his stomach lurch and he flushed again, shrugging off his disappointment when she didn't hug him.

"We're gonna mis you, mate," Sirius said, ruffling Remus' hair. He scowled and flattened it back down.

"I'll miss you guys, too," he said, smiling sadly. He gasped as his friends all hugged him together.

They spent the night together in their dorm. Liz appropriated a pillow from James' bed and a blanket from Sirius' and slept on the floor. She had a funny way of breathing, Remus noticed, making a soft _kah_ sound whenever she exhaled. He sighed.

This time tomorrow, he'd be back home with his parents. He missed his mother; his father, not so much. He knew he'd be greeted at the station by his mum, brought home and given a warm mug of cocoa, and his father would come in late, kiss his mum, give Remus a cold hello, and not speak to him for the rest of break.

Yes, he decided, he definitely didn't miss his father.

**xxx**

The next morning, Remus and his friends dragged his trunk to the Great Hall. They ate breakfast, then hung around in the entrance hall for a carriage that would take Remus to Hogsmeade station and the Hogwarts Express.

"Have a fun time," Liz said, her eyes strangely bright.

"Study hard," Sirius snickered. "No, wait- do me a favor and don't."

James clapped him on the shoulder. "We'll write to you," he said. "And don't worry about us, we'll have plenty to do while you're gone."

"Do me a favor?" Remus asked. They nodded. "Don't leave anything nasty in my bed."

"Don't worry, we will," Peter said cheerfully.

"I mean it!" Remus said, laughing. A carriage pulled up and James helped him pul his trunk in. Remus shut the door and leaned out the widow to watch as he pulled away. "See you next year!" he yelled.

"See you," Liz called, waving. Remus waved back, then settled in his seat with the book Liz had given him, already wishing he could go back.

* * *

**A/N: I don't think I really need to remind you, but remember your three R's- Review, Review, Review! I try to get chapters out faster the more reviews I get! It's not that hard- just hit that amazing little button at the bottom of this page and tell me what you think! I reply to all reviews, even anonymous ones!**

**There are a couple of fanfics I want you readers to check out- millie-mae's _The Marauders_ and windwalker28's _A Raven's Journey_ stories are both very good and I am hoping you'll check them both out, because they're just epic and windwalker's definitely deserves more reviews.**

**Okay, I think that's everything! Oh, and I will probably be a little slow in getting chapter 17 out, because my family and I are going to Texas for a week to see our cousins! I'll get to meet my newest cousin; he's just barely a year old (awwww :D) Anyway, my writing won't slow because I'll have a sixteen-hour drive to look forward to (and unfortunately, I have to help), but I will probably have problems posting it from the laptop. Meh. We'll see. Anyway...**

**Chapter 16 should hopefully be up by next Monday, because Tuesday, I'll be on the road.**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**

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**Anonymous Reviewers:**

**Foofooman3: **Whooooooooo! How will they transform the great hall? Ice skating rink in school, AWESOME!

Ps: do I not count because I am your brother, or because I am a cucumber?

**Both :P And as for how they transform the Great Hall, that will be next chapter.**

* * *

**Rocknroll chick:** You seriously need to write faster because I am totally addicted to this now. Also, you need to have more from Remus and Sirius' pov.

**I'm writing as fast as I can! I'll put in Sirius' and Remus' POV when necessary, along with James' and Peter's (ugh) but like I said, I was getting a headache swapping it around all the time. I will, so don't freak, but it just won't be as much as before.**

* * *

**JoeSax: **I love the story. I think you ought to write to Ms Rowling to get it published as it rivals the best of her work. I can honestly say this is THE BEST story on and possibly the world

Your very very very very biggest fan ever,

JoeSax

**Let me tell you, this review made me jump around the house like an idiot, I was so happy. I'm honored so many people like it :) but I really doubt Rowling will let me publish it because as we all know, she is the only one who truly knows what happened during the Marauders' school days. That, and she's pretty possessive of her copyright, but who can blame her?**


	16. Merry Christmas, I Guess

**A/N: Hello, again! I can't believe I've been able to keep this up! Again, keep reviewing, because I love to hear your thoughts on this! I would just like to say- it would be fantastic if you guys could help me get 100 reviews by the end of this story. Everybody who reviews, favorites, and adds this to their alerts will all be acknowledged in the last author's note! *holds up hand for high five* Anyone? Hello?**

**I have a ne****w picture is up on deviantArt of the Marauders during Christmastime. Hope you like it.**

**This chapter is for my little brother, Foofooman3, because he was the first one to review, and because he's mentioned in this chapter. Hugs!**

**Disclaimer: Last I checked, I don't own any of these characters except my OCs. Though, if you were to give me Remus Lupin, I would love you forever. (I would also accept George Weasley.)**

* * *

Liz sighed and stretched out happily on the sofa with her book. Christmas was in two days, there was a ton of snow on the ground, James, Sirius and Peter had gone down to the kitchens for food, and she had all her presents wrapped ready to be given. The only thing that could have made it better was if Remus had stayed over break.

There was a tapping noise on the window, which she ignored, until-

"Liz! Liz, look! Mum and dad sent me my skates, just like I asked!" Lily cried. Liz looked up from her book.

"Oh, yeah! That's great, Lily, just in time for Christmas, too!" Liz smiled at the enthusiastic girl, then tried to find her place again.

"When are you planning on icing the Great Hall over?" Lily asked, setting her skates down. "Christmas day or Christmas Eve?"

Liz shrugged. "We haven't really decided yet. Whichever one we feel like, I guess."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because for some reason, I thought you'd be better planners than this. I'm just saying."

Liz snorted. "You can thank Remus for that," she said. "James and Sirius are the ones who come up with the pranks, Remus and I plan it out, but it's mostly Remus. Peter just kind of helps us with everything."

"Oh. That's cool, I guess."

"Hello, ladies," Sirius said, climbing through the portrait hole with James and Peter. The three of them were laden with food hampers. "Did you miss me?"

"Save your breath, Black," Lily said.

"Ooh, not very friendly," Sirius said. "Hey, Ebony."

"Hey, guys," Liz greeted them. "Did you get everything?"

"Everything and more," James grinned. "I doubt you'll object to double chocolate fudge?"

"Ooh!" Liz jumped up and grabbed the basket from James. "Did you really? You're the BEST!"

"I know," James said unabashedly. "Hey, Evans. Are you hungry?"

"Starving," Lily said. "I can't believe I let Liz talk me into this," she added under her breath.

"Lily," Liz explained patiently, "It's just not Christmas until you've eaten food roasted over the fire on a rusty poker."

"But Christmas isn't for another two days!" Lily said exasperatedly.

"It's the Christmas season, isn't it?" James asked as he pulled the basket back from Liz. "Let go, you food hog!"

"C'mon, please, James?"

"No." He opened the hamper to pull out a multitude of toasting foods- bread, cheese, marshmallows, sausages, peppers, mushrooms, and the fudge, which wouldn't be a good thing to stick on a poker and hold over an open flame, but would still be good to eat anyway.

"So…" Lily said as Liz speared an English muffin on a poker and held it over the fire, "Are you guys going to do anything on Christmas?"

"Open presents," James said.

"Have a snowball fight," Sirius said.

"Toast more food and camp out in the common room," Liz answered. "Why?"

Lily shrugged. "I was kind of hoping I could hang out with you guys since we're the only first years left and Alice and Frank never leave one another's presence since Frank asked her out at Slughorn's Christmas party."

"They're going out now?" Sirius asked, puling a burning marshmallow from the fireplace and blowing it out. "Five galleons says they get married."

"Don't be stupid," James said. "They sill have only three years before Frank graduates, and I bet they'll have broken up long before then."

"You're on," Sirius said. "Hey, Eb? Do you know?"

"Why would Liz know?" Lily asked interestedly.

"Because I can see the future," Liz said in a spooky voice, hoping Lily wouldn't pry. She shot Sirius a death glare and he shrank away. To her relief, Lily only laughed and asked her to pass a sausage.

They spent the evening pigging out on their food, joking around and deciding to create the ice rink Christmas Eve night. Liz kind of wished Lily was a Marauder as well, since she did get a little lonely being the only girl. But, she thought resignedly, Lily was a bit too much of a stickler for rules (most of the time) and probably wouldn't take too kindly to their routine rule-breaking.

They finally fell asleep in the middle of the common room playing Gobstones. Lily turned out to be a marbles whiz and beat everyone thoroughly, much to Liz's chagrin.

**xxx**

Christmas Eve dawned bright and cold. Another foot of snow had fallen, leaving Hogwarts buried. The Marauders and Lily had originally planned on having a snowball fight that morning, but settled instead for clearing off the iced-over lake and sliding around, tapping the ice and waving to the giant squid, who was swimming languidly in the frigid water.

"Look out!" Sirius yelled. Liz turned in time to see him sliding across the ice, careening into her with a yelp and knocking her on her butt.

"Watch it, you idiot," she snapped, rubbing her sore posterior. She pushed him off her and climbed stiffly to her feet.

"Sorry," Sirius said, standing up himself.

"Mayday!" they heard James shout a split second before he plowed into them. They landed in a heap on the ice, James' momentum carrying them several meters before stopping at Lily's feet. She smirked at them, her brilliant green eyes dancing with laughter.

"Having fun?" she asked.

"Not yet," James said, before grabbing her ankles and pulling her feet out from under her. She shrieked, scooped up a fistful of snow and shoved it in James' face. He let go to rub his eyes and wipe his glasses off. Liz and Lily looked at one another and nodded.

The moment James' vision was cleared, he was smacked in the face by one snowball, then another. "You cheaters!" he yelled. Sirius roared with laughter.

"You got hit by a couple of girls," he taunted. James had scooped together a snowball to throw at Liz, but pelted Sirius with it instead. Sirius stopped laughing and dived at James, trying to put him in a headlock. They wrestled on the ice for a few minutes, Liz, Lily and Peter watching, and, in Peter's case, cheering.

Lily glanced worriedly at Liz. "Should we break them up?"

"Nah, let them fight. They're just playing, anyway." Liz whooped as James wriggled out of Sirius' grasp and grabbed his hair.

"Sure doesn't look like it," Lily commented as Sirius, who was now on the bottom, brought his knee up into James' stomach. James let go and rolled away, trying to catch his breath. Sirius lay on the ice like a dead fish, his energy spent.

"Should we go in for lunch now?" Peter asked uncertainly. Sirius popped up at once.

"Ooh, yeah!" he yelled as he and James raced back to the castle, tripping several times in the deep snow.

Since there were so few students staying over the holidays, the four House tables had been replaced by one table shared by teachers and students alike. Alice and Frank were gone, but Sybill was sitting at the far end, pouring over a pack of Tarot cards and muttering dramatically to herself. The Marauders and Lily cast one glance at her and sat as far away from her as possible.

"You know, we'll have to move the table if we're going to make an ice rink in here," Liz said quietly.

"That's easy enough- just levitate it to the side," James said. L"Who are we going to blame for the ice, though?" Peter said. "It's not like we can sign it from us or anything- there aren't enough students here."

"I thought you said you had a plan?" James asked, turning to Sirius. He nodded.

"All we need to do is ask Peeves if he'll take the blame," he said. Lily, who had just taken a sip of her pumpkin juice, spat a bit of it out.

"Ask Peeves?" she choked. "Are you mental? He'll tell on you right away, after dumping something smelly on you."

"Not if we give him something in return," Liz said. She leaned forward. "There's this really annoying thing my brother does…"

**xxx**

"Are you sure he's up here?" James hissed as they climbed the Astronomy Tower.

"You heard Filch screeching about him, didn't you?" Sirius replied, shivering as they climbed up the stairs. "Trust me, he's up here."

"Forget a regular map," Peter said, "It would be much better if we had a map that showed where everyone was-"

"Let me know when you get that done," Sirius said sarcastically.

"Oh Pe-eves?" Liz called. "Where are you?"

A door banged open on their right and the poltergeist shot out, holding an armful of something slimy and wriggling. A bedraggled Santa hat was perched on his head, wreathed with something that looked suspiciously like poison ivy.

"Ickle firsties?" he cackled. "What are you doing, a-creeping around? Something might not take to kindly to you." He scooped up a handful of his nasty glop, ready to throw it at them.

"We were looking for you, Peeves," James said, rather bravely, Liz thought. _She_ certainly wouldn't have opened her mouth, it was just too inviting a target. She sort of wished she'd gone up to the Gryffindor common room with Lily, who'd decided the Marauders had a death wish.

"Ooh, looking for me? That's a new one," Peeves said. "Knew you'd be a-coming soon."

"How?" Sirius asked.

"Shan't tell you nothing," the poltergeist sang.

"We want you to do something for us," Liz said, trying to open her mouth as little as possible.

"Something, eh? And why would I help you? Not that it wouldn't be fun..."

"Because we have a new annoying thing for you to do to students," she said.

Peeves' eyes narrowed. "How annoying?"

"Extremely. And I know you'll be able to do it much better than my brother because you can turn invisible."

"Tell me and I'll think about it," Peeves said, flipping upside down and smirking at them from between his legs. Liz wondered why his glop didn't fall out of his arms.

"You sneak up behind someone, grab their nose, and yell 'Got your conk' as loud as you can," Liz said. Peeves yawned.

"Boring." He waggled his ears.

"Trust me, it's more annoying than it sounds," she said.

"I'll do it," Peeves said suddenly, "But if I don't like your trick, you'll be in for something... nasty."

"Cool," Sirius said. "We'll be seeing you, Peeves."

Peeves answered by throwing a wad of wriggling stuff in Sirius' mouth, then flew away backwards, blowing a loud raspberry as he disappeared through the wall.

Sirius spat on the floor, wiping his tongue with his sleeve. "Bleagh! What is that stuff?"

Liz bent down to inspect it, then shrieked and fell back as a long nightcrawler wriggled out of the mud, onto her hand, and began making its way along the floor. "Worm!" she yelled.

James snorted. "Don't tell me you're scared of worms?"

"Not worms, exactly," Liz said, embarrassed. "I just don't like it when the start thrashing around… it just really freaks me out."

"Never would have guessed you'd be squeamish," Sirius said, already over his mouthful of mud and worms.

"Normally, I'm not, but thrashing worms and bones poking out of my skin are both very nasty." Liz shuddered. "Let me say- there's a reason why our bones are on the inside of our bodies."

"You've had bones poking out of your skin before?" Peter asked as they made their way to the Gryffindor common room.

"When I was eight, I climbed on our roof to get a baseball, fell and broke both my arms. It wasn't pleasant." Liz grimaced. "All the bones in my left arm were completely shattered, so the Healers had to remove them completely and regrow them, and my right forearm snapped in half and the bones had busted through the skin." As Liz told her grisly tale, Peter turned a nasty green color, but James and Sirius gazed at her with something akin to reverence.

"That is so cool," James said as they reached the Fat Lady. "Sleighbells." The Fat Lady, who was sharing a bottle of wine with her portrait friend from downstairs, giggled tipsily and let them in.

"How long did it take to heal?" Sirius asked as they sat in front of the fire.

Liz shrugged. "About two weeks, I think. It was torture."

"What was torture?" Lily asked as she came down the stairs. She had showered and her hair was braided with a green ribbon.

"Ebony was just telling us how she broke both her arms," Sirius said as Lily sat next to Liz.

"So, how did your talk with Peeves go?" Lily asked. Her eyes lingered on Sirius' mouth, which was still muddy.

"Pretty good," James said. "He agreed to take the blame for the ice rink in exchange for a new prank and a mouthful of muss and worms for Sirius." Lily made a face.

"Sounds pleasant."

"It wasn't too bad, actually," Sirius said. Liz shuddered. It was bad enough when you touched a worm and it started thrashing, but the thought of having the things wriggling in her mouth made her want to hurl.

"Ohhh-kaaaay then," Lily said, edging away from Sirius. He laughed and gave James a high five.

"Anyway," Lily said, tearing her eyes off of Sirius' dirty mouth, "I want to come with you guys when you freeze the Great Hall."

"Wow, I never thought I'd see the day- Lily Evans helping the Marauders with a prank?" Liz said. Lily pushed her playfully.

"Shut up, Auberey."

The feast was small, with only twelve people in attendance (Frank had a mound of worms and mud dumped on his head a split second before entering the Great Hall and left to clean up), but was no less magnificent for it. Ikki had made her candy apples again, and there was turkey, potatoes, ham, rolls, soups of every kind imaginable, fudge, ice cream, pies and puddings. It was a feast to rival the Halloween and start-of-term feasts. Feeling quite stuffed, the Gryffindors lumbered back to the common room to digest their food and play a few games of Exploding Snap before they pulled their shoes back on and crept down to the Great Hall again.

"All right you lot, let's get this done, I'm tired and want to go to bed," James said.

"What's the charm?" Lily asked Liz.

"Glacius," Liz replied, "But I haven't been able to get it yet-"

"Glacius," Lily said, pointing her wand at the floor. A thin white jet shot out of the end of her wand and expanded on the floor. Almost immediately, a patch of the marble was covered in gleaming ice. Lily smiled. "Perfect."

"Of course," Liz muttered. "I didn't expect any less of a Charms prodigy."

Lily shrugged. "Well, you can't be good at everything," she said. "I mean, I know I wouldn't be able to pull off half the Defensive spells you know."

Liz shrugged as well. "Yeah, I am pretty good." Lily scowled.

"Let's just do this," she said, redirecting her attention to the floor.

It took Liz several tries, but she eventually managed to get the spell to work. Smiling triumphantly, she hurried to get her part of the room done.

Yawning and shuffling around the Great Hall, the Marauders and Lily coated the entire floor in several layers of sparkling ice, moved the table to the side of the room, and caused it to start snowing inside. At midnight, they finally left. Liz wished they'd brought the invisibility cloak, but they weren't about to let Lily know about _that_.

**xxx**

Liz opened her eyes slowly the next morning. She had a vague sense that she should be excited, but for the life of her, couldn't remember why. She suddenly sat up. It was Christmas! She jumped out of bed to find a small pile of presents at the foot of her bed. Liz gathered them up quietly, so as not to wake Lily, and went into the boy's room.

"WAKE UP, WAKE UP, IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Liz scremed, setting her presents down and jumping on James' bed. He flailed his arms.

"Get off me!" he yelled. He paused. "_Liz_?"

"Happy Christmas," she said, smiling brightly at him.

"Happy Christmas to you too, now get off me," he said, sitting up.

"It's Christmas!" Peter yelled, jumping out of bed and grabbing a present off his stack.

"Christmas?" Sirius said, jumping up as well. "Whoo!"

"I want to open my present first!" James said, scowling at Peter. Peter scowled back but obediently set his parcel down. James grabbed his first present off the stack- a rolled up tube. "To James, from Ebony," he read on the tag. He looked at Liz. "This one's from you?"

Liz swatted him with a pillow. "Duh, or else it wouldn't say it was from me." James ignored her and tore the paper off to reveal a cardboard cylinder. He opened it and a moving poster of men on brooms in blue Quidditch robes fell out. A golden double T emblem was watermarked over the poster.

"The Tornadoes?" James gasped. "This is great, Eb! I can't believe you got it for me, being a Canons fan and all."

"You're welcome," Liz said, grinning.

"Here, open mine," James said. It was another cylindrical package. Liz ripped it open to find a poster of the Chudley Canons.

"Thanks, James," Liz laughed. "But seriously, I can't believe you got it, being a Tornadoes fan and all." They all laughed.

"My turn!" Sirius said. He chose the present from Liz, the book of pranks she'd ordered from Zonko's.

Besides the poster from James, Liz also got a bag of Stink Pellets and a slingshot from Sirius, a box of Cauldron Cakes from Peter, five new Chocolate Frog cards from Chris, and her own pair of ice skates from Lily. Liz was the last one to finish opening her presents- all that was left was a box about a foot long and seven inches wide, labeled from Mum and Dad. She pulled the paper off and gasped.

It was a box she knew well, dark ebony (she found that very funny, in retrospect), its lid carved with an intricate tree and a curling vine around the border. She opened it reverently, hardly daring to believe her eyes.

James put down the Pumpkin Pasties he'd gotten from Peter and scooted over to inspect it. "That- that's the chess set you told us about!" he gasped. Sirius and Peter hurried over.

"Wow," Sirius whispered.

Wow was right. Liz had been allowed to touch the pieces only a few times in her entire life. They lay in their padded nooks, the gold accents gleaming at her. The jade chessmen began to move, the king adjusting his golden crown, the knights drawing their tiny green swords. Liz carefully shut the box, not wanting the pieces to wake up just yet.

"That is awesome," Peter said jealously.

"Yeah," Liz breathed. She couldn't believe her mother was passing this on to her, it was now officially a family heirloom. She'd have to challenge Sirius to a match later today.

"Shall we go down to the Great Hall to see our handiwork properly?" James asked, jumping up.

"Meet you guys in the common room," Liz said as she ran out.

Lily, already dressed, looked up from her presents as Liz burst in. "Happy Christmas, Liz! Thanks so much for the earrings!" Liz looked and saw Lily was wearing the gold lily earrings Liz had made.

"You're welcome. Thanks for the skates." Liz pulled out her gigantic brown hoodie and a pair of jeans.

"I figured you'd need them for today," Lily said, winking.

"We can skate on the lake later, too," Liz said happily as she pulled her hoodie on. She had to roll the sleeves up at least four times to expose her hands.

Lily and the Marauders went to the Great Hall together, running into Alice and Frank who were both very pink in the face.

"Mistletoe?" Liz said slyly. They both blushed even more furiously, refusing to answer her question.

Liz thought she heard Sirius whisper to James, "I am so going to win."

They reached the Great Hall at the same time as McGonagall, who was being followed by a raspberry-blowing Peeves.

"Slip and trip and fall, old Peevsie's done it all," Peeves was singing.

"What do you mean, Peeves?" McGonagall said curtly.

Peeves just responded with another raspberry, then swooped down, grabbed her nose, and hollered, "GOT YOUR CONK!" McGonagall drew her wand, but Peeves swooped away, cackling. He caught Liz's eye and winked before he turned a corner, rattling the suits of armor as he passed.

"I don't know what he's up to," Professor McGonagall muttered as she pulled the doors open. "He's been-" she looked into the Great Hall, sighed to herself, and shut the door again. "Peeves," she muttered. Liz and James exchanged triumphant looks. Peeves had taken the blame for them, and it looked like he was enjoying his new trick.

"What did he do, Professor?" Lily asked as she tried to peek around McGonagall.

"He's iced over the Great Hall, it would seem." McGonagall sighed again. "I'm going to have to visit the Headmaster, and I want you to stay out of the Hall until-"

"Iced over?" Liz said, trying to sound curiously excited. "Like an ice rink, you mean?"

"I hardly think that it's a good idea-"

"Because I got a pair of ice skates for Christmas, and-"

"Professor McGonagall?" The children all whipped around to see Professor Dumbledore coming down the stairs. "Is there something wrong with the Great Hall?"

"Yes, there is, Professor Dumbledore," McGonagall replied. "It would appear that Peeves has iced over the entire Hall."

"Did he, now?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling. Liz thought she saw him glance at James, who quickly arranged his features into a puzzled expression. "Well, let's go survey the damage, shall we?" And without another word, he pushed the doors open.

Liz smiled when she saw the Hall in the morning light. The sky was cloudy and grey, perfect weather for snow. The iced-over floor gleamed in the sunlight, smooth and inviting. Liz had never been ice skating before, but she did love to rollerblade. How different could they be?

"It would appear that our poltergeist has been kind enough to provide us with an ice skating rink," Professor Dumbledore said mildly.

"Woo hoo!" Sirius yelled as he ran past Dumbledore and leapt onto the ice. He slid on his feet for several meters before he spun around. "This is great!" he yelled. "Please, Professor, can we keep the ice here for just a bit longer? We can skate on here and stuff, it'll be awesome!"

"I don't think-" Professor McGonagall began, but Dumbledore cut her off.

"It does not appear as though Peeves has done anything dangerous, Minerva. I do not see why we cannot let the children have some fun." He smiled gently.

"Well, if you say so..." McGonagall hesitated, then said to the kids, "You have half an hour before Professors Flitwick and myself will be clearing the ice away. I don't know about you, but I would like my breakfast before noon!" She marched off, presumably to get the diminutive Charms teacher.

"YES!" James yelled, punching the air. He grabbed Peter's arm and dragged him onto the ice. Alice and Frank exchanged glances, then they, too, were sliding around as well.

"Let's go get our skates," Liz said. She had barely taken two steps before two pairs of white skates came zooming down the stairs towards Lily and herself. Liz caught her pair and turned to Dumbledore. "Thank you, Professor."

"Have fun," was all he said, and swept up the stairs.

Liz and Lily hurriedly pulled off their shoes and tied their skates on, then edged over to the doors.

"This is fantastic!" Alice said as she went sliding past them. The girls stepped on the ice and Liz dug her skates in. The sensation was similar to that of rollerblading, except there was a narrower blade to balance on. Lily helped Liz get started, then they were off.

Once you got the hang of it, it wasn't so bad, Liz thought as she and Lily raced around the wall. Liz reached out and knocked pine needles off the nearby Christmas tree, scattering them everywhere.

"Whooo!" Lily yelled as she began to pull ahead.

Professor McGonagall had said thirty minutes, but they were fortunate enough that she relented when she saw them having so much fun and allowed them an hour total before chasing them out.

Liz pulled her skates off and rubbed her sore feet. "Owww..." she moaned. Lily grimaced.

"Sorry, I should have warned you- new skates are almost always really painful to break in."

"Thanks for the warning," Liz snorted. Lily sighed unhappily and Liz shook her head. "Don't feel bad, I had a great time!" She grinned, and thankfully, Lily grinned back.

McGonagall and Flitwick finished restoring the Great Hall and the children went in for breakfast. Liz limped to her usual spot next to Sirius, her stomach snarling. The food appeared on the table and she and the Marauders dug in with gusto. Sybill showed up just as they were done eating, but Liz didn't stop to say hi.

After breakfast, Lily, Alice, Frank and the Marauders went outside for a snowball war, girls against boys. Although Lily, Frank and Alice stayed in the common room after lunch, the Marauders stayed outside for most of the day, then returned to the Great Hall for another spectacular feast.

There were only nine people there when they arrived- Lily, Alice, Frank and Sybill, along with Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Flitwick, Slughorn, and Dranseau. Liz scowled as the Marauders took their seats. It was just her luck she'd be stuck next to her crazy cousin!

As Liz raised a leg to climb over the bench, Sybill gasped. "No!" she cried dramatically. "Elizabeth, if you were to sit down, we would be thirteen! When thirteen dine together, the first to rise-"

"Will be the first to die, blah blah blah," Liz snapped. "I've heard it before, Sybill, not do you mind? I'm hungry!" And without another word, Liz plunked herself down between Sirius and Sybill, who let out a soft gasp. She looked up to see everyone looking at them with either amusement or concern. Liz narrowed her eyes and they went back to their food. She sighed. She always made it a point to get up before anyone else at family gatherings, just to annoy Sybill. Nothing had happened to her yet.

There were all the same foods as last night, but the pinnacle of dessert this evening was a magnificent, flaming pudding. There were crackers to pull and jokes to tell, and everyone had a great time, except for Sybill, who looked like she expected a dragon to come bursting into the Hall. This put a bit of a damper on the mood, but Liz ignored it. She was used to it by now.

Liz elbowed Sirius in the ribs when she was full, and muttered, "Watch this, it's hilarious." Sirius raised his eyebrows in an unspoken question. Liz grinned and stood up. Sybill shrieked and dropped her spoon, which landed with a clatter on the floor.

"Oh, no, I stood up first, I'm going to die a dramatic and horrible death by torture or something equally grisly, but not until I see the Grim, am I right?" Liz asked, snorting. Sybill looked at her, horrorstruck.

"Elizabeth, you know that taking such things lightly-"

"Yeah, whatever," Liz said as the rest of the Marauders stood. "Happy Christmas."

"Bye," Alice called. They shut the doors behind them and exploded into laughter.

"Did you see her face?" James howled. "Hysterical!"

"The first to die..." Sirius said in a spooky voice, widening his eyes to resemble Sybill's magnified ones.

Liz clutched her throat and pretended to asphyxiate. "Oh Merlin! It's the Grim! Save me!" Still laughing, they climbed up to Gryffindor tower.

"Merry- hic! Christmas!" The Fat Lady waved cheerfully to them, a glass of eggnog in the other hand.

"Sleighbells," James choked out through his guffaws.

The Fat Lady hummed something that sounded like Winter Wonderland as she opened. Liz winced as the drunken tune reached her ears.

"Want to play a game of chess?" Sirius asked Liz. She jumped at the reminder of her new treasure.

"You're on!" she said, darting up the stairs to grab her set and get changed into her pajamas.

She lost to Sirius, but it was a close game. The rest of the night was spent telling jokes and playing Gobstones and Exploding Snap. At one point, Liz got out her slingshot and they spent some time shooting Stink Pellets at various targets around the room.

Liz yawned as the fire burned lower and lower. She curled up on the hearth rug, too tired to climb the stairs to her bed. She was vaguely aware of James joining her, his head falling onto her arm as he began to snore. Sirius and Peter lay down next to them and Liz curled into Peter's side, welcoming the warmth.

**xxx**

The rest of December passed quickly. New Year's Eve, however, was not a great night for Liz. She had fallen asleep in her own bed, worn out from the detention she and the Marauders had to serve for shutting Mrs. NorrisII in a suit of armor.

"How many times can you scrub a trophy, anyway?" She'd complained to Lily that night. Lily had ignored her. For some reason, Lily found it offensive that anyone would do that to a cat. Liz found it offensive that anyone wouldn't want to do that to Mrs. NorrisII. Sure, she loved cats, but Filch's was a nasty piece of work. Why Lily was too thick to see that...

With nobody to rant to, Liz had fallen asleep quickly, but her dreams were haunted with the howls of a wolf, then suddenly, she was _there_.

_She ran unsteadily through the tunnel, her bare feet, half formed paws, slapping against the dirt. A rock jabbed her foot, bringing tears to her eyes. She stumbled._ Come on, change! You've never had a problem with it before! _Grey fur, so dark it was nearly black, began to cover her body. _Too slow, it was too slow_. "Padfoot!" She yelled. "I can't get it!" A great grey wolf burst through the darkness, about to attack her, when a gigantic black dog with a rat clinging to its back, lunged at it from behind and bit the monster's leg-_

"Wake up!" Lily yelled. Liz sat up so suddenly, she cracked her head against Lily's. "OW!" Lily yelled.

Liz rubbed her forehead, breathing hard. Her heart was pounding. She leaned over the side of the bed and threw up. Lily vanished it with her wand. "I need some water," Liz whispered, getting up and stumbling to the window. The full moon shone through the window as she grabbed the jug and poured herself a goblet, then sat on the sill and drank it in huge gulps.

"Liz?' Lily said, joining her at the window. "Was it another nightmare?" Liz nodded. "Do you want to talk about it?" Liz shook her head. "You sure?" Nod. "All right..." Lily went back over to her bed and lay down, but Liz was willing to bet she wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon.

Liz sat by the window, gazing across the grounds. She kept her eyes averted from the moon. Every time she looked at it, the hairs on the back of her neck would prickle, and the feeling of being chased by the wolf would come back to haunt her...

* * *

**A/N: Dun. Dun. DUUUUUUUNNNNN! Hee hee, another FDE (Failed Dramatic Ending)! Don't you just _love_ me? *insert sarcasm here***

**Only a few more chapters until the end of part one! I can't believe I've come this far in so short a time! Again, I sound like a broken record by repeating myself endlessly, but it's true! I am not joking when I say I only hoped for 10 reviews total for this whole story. This... this is just amazing.**

**I hope I got Peeves, Dumbledore and Trelawney IC. Peeves was hard because he's obnoxious, Dumbles is hard because he's supposed to be all wise and stuff, and Trelawney is just insane. Let me know how I did, please!**

**I'm working on chapter 17, but like I said, I'll be busy visiting family, so I don't know when it'll be up. But please, don't use that as a reason to not review! It's not that hard, people! Just click that awesome button and type in a happy face or something!**

**All right, I've been very, very worried that Liz is a Mary-Sue character, because a lot of people seem to define MSs as self-inserts, which Liz is. (In my defense, I only started this because I was bored. The fact that people like it is just stunning.) So, I'm going to ask you now- do you think she's a dreaded MS? Yes, she is exceptionally good in Defensive spells, but James is good in Transfiguration and Lily is a beast at Charms, so I felt Liz needed something to brag about. *Slaps self* Okay, I'll stop rambling, but I really, really want to know if Liz is a Sue. Please be honest!**

**Just to keep you guys interested, it's not that much longer until they discover Remus is a werewolf. You'll just have to keep reading if you want to get to that part!**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**

**(Hopefully NOT a Sue)**

* * *

**Anonymous Reviewers:**

**Foofooman3: **Woot! Great chapter. you're making me hyper with them so close to finding out Remus' identity as a werewolf. I mean romulus and remus, HELLO raised by woves, WEREWOLF,(agitated stare)! But great chap. also Liz is strange, "The best present I've gotten is a snowflake," how corny is that? Will they put anything nasty in Remus' bed like a giant spider? also will they move all the tables away from the center and fill it with ice quietly so that the teachers don't hear them and find them. Can't wait! :)

**The bit about the snowflake is SUPPOSED to be corny- it's eleven-year-old-fluffiness, do you really expect it to be anything else? But thank you for being blunt, I like that. Sorry, no giant spiders, because, as everyone knows acromantulas are dangerous.**


	17. You've Got to be Joking

**A/N: Put your hands in the air for Chapter 17! Woot woot, long chapter! Here's another woot- mom and I spent six hours working on my Hogwarts uniform. It looks fantastic- all I need is a red and gold tie and I'll be good to go! (I'm wearing it right now, actually. Tee hee.)**

**And another woot- this chapter is IT. The BIG REVEAL! Yup, you heard me, _THE BIG REVEAL_! The reveal that is so epic it needs to be bolded, italicized and underlined! (If it's not actually underlined, blame the doc manager...) I can finally stop facepalming whenever Remus disappears and NOBODY figures it out :/ So yay! I was originally planning it for chapter 18, but just couldn't wait any longer... and I realized I had nothing interesting planned for 17. Anyways, here ya go! WHEE! *does a happy dance***

**Oh, and for you really young readers- Snape says a minor swearword. You've been warned.**

**This chapter is for Rocknroll chick, because I used her birthday in here. Happy Birthday, sister-not-sister!**

**Disclaimer:** **I never really saw the point in this since I obviously DON'T own Harry Potter, but since I'm terrified my story will be taken down, I will make it very clear- I AM NOT J.K. ROWLING! I only own the OCs and my _evil genius_ plot to make this a canon story :) (Anybody who figures out why Liz isn't known in Harry's timeline will be given a lifetime's supply of virtual Honeyduke's candy!)**

Liz never bothered to tell the boys about her newest dream. Besides, she wasn't even sure it was something from the future, so what was the point in getting worked up about it? At least, that's what she told herself. But she wrote it down in her journal anyway, just in case.

Christmas break ended far too quickly for Liz's liking. Although it meant Remus' return (and putting Stinksap in his pillow), it also meant the start of classes. She didn't know what was worse- she loathed Defense Against the Dark Arts because Dranseau was bullying Remus more than ever; Charms was now pure torture because she just couldn't seem to master any of the more advanced spells they had moved on to.

"Expulso," Liz snapped, pointing her wand at her cushion. It remained unchanged. "Expulso!" Still nothing. Not even a twitch.

"It's not that hard, Liz," Lily said irritably. Liz wondered briefly if Lily was still mad at them because of the day before. Their desk was covered with feathers and bits of pillow scraps. Lily pointed her wand at a fresh cushion. "Expulso." The pillow promptly exploded, showering the girls with feathers. Liz was willing to bet it looked like she had a chicken nesting in her hair. A split second after Lily, James let out a whoop as his own pillow burst apart. Liz let out a growl of frustration and banged her head on her desk.

"Why can't I get it right?" she moaned. "I've never had any problems before!"

"Maybe it's just a block you have," Remus said kindly from behind her. "I mean, these are way more advanced than what we started out learning."

"Do you think?" Liz muttered to herself. She picked her head up and jabbed her wand at the stupid pillow. "Expulso!" she yelled. The pillow caught fire and she and Lily leapt backward. Liz's chair tipped over and she hit her head on the floor. Stars winked in her vision as she kicked the offending chair away. "Ow!"

"Are you alright?" Remus asked, helping her up as Professor Flitwick put the fire out with a wave of his wand. To no one's surprise, Liz was assigned extra homework. Her cheeks burned with humiliation and anger as Victoria and Sara started giggling.

"This is just ridiculous," Liz yelled as they left for lunch.

"I thought it was pretty funny," James sniggered. "I wish I had a picture of your face when you set the pillow on fire! Hilarious!" He opened his mouth and eyes as wide as he could, his glasses causing his eyes to look oddly disproportional. "Oh no, not my pillow!" he said in a falsetto voice. "Oopsie, I tipped my chair over!"

Liz whacked him with her textbook. "You're such a prat."

"It _was_ pretty funny," Sirius laughed. "Come on, Eb, you're like the fourth smartest person in our year!"

"And who, might I ask, are the other three?" Liz asked, sure she already knew the answer.

"Me, James and Remus," Sirius answered promptly.

"I think you have it wrong," James said. "It's actually me, then you, then Remus."

"What about me?" Peter asked.

"I'd say... you're at the bottom," Sirius said. "Nah, I'll be nice- I'll rank you right above Snivellus." Peter's face fell.

"Really, Black?" Lily said from behind them. "You don't have to be so horrid all the time."

"I'm not," Sirius said, confused. "I'm only 'horrid' to Slytherins."

"They're not all bad, you know! I don't know why I ever hung out with you over break, the way you hexed Sev in the corridor yesterday makes me SICK!"

"Hey, he started it," Liz snapped.

"And you!" Lily glared at her. "I thought you were better than them, you and Remus, but no! You're the one who hung him upside down! And you!" She pointed at Remus. "You didn't even do anything! You just stood there and watched!"

"Yeah, we were pretty annoyed with him, too," James said, frowning in Remus' direction.

"I don't believe you!" Lily yelled. She stormed past them to catch up with her friends.

"Well, that was pleasant," Sirius said sarcastically. "Who's hungry?"

**xxx**

The week just went downhill from there. On Wednesday, they had a test in Charms that Liz only _just_ passed. Thursday, Remus was given a detention from Dranseau because his essay had 'too many facts' and was Remus 'trying to show off?' There was a Quidditch match on Saturday, but Gryffindor lost to Hufflepuff, something everyone found extremely humiliating. And Liz managed to lose around twenty points in Transfiguration because she was afraid of what would happen to the mouse she was supposed to be turning into a teacup. Did the mouse die, or did it retain its consciousness as a teacup, and if so, how was that fair to the mouse? McGonagall was not pleased.

Sunday, the Marauders had been planning to sneak out to Hogsmeade with the older students, but were forced to stay behind because Sirius had to help Remus in potions, and James was tutoring Peter in Transfiguration. Liz was desperately trying to get her makeup Charms homework done, but when she realized she'd read the same question six times without understanding any of it, she threw her quill down and announced she needed some fresh air.

"See you at dinner?" Sirius called as she left, but she didn't answer. Liz was meaning to go down to the lake and maybe try to guess when Remus would leave next (he had been acting _unusually_ grumpy the past five days) but her plans were ruined when Peeves grabbed her nose ("GOT YOUR CONK!") on the stairs, making her stumble and get stuck in a trick step just in time for Snape to come by. Liz struggled to reach the wand in her pocket, but her arms were trapped against her sides. Oh, Merlin.

"Well, look who it is," Snape drawled, pausing in front of her and smirking. "Is the little mudblood stuck in the stairs?"

"Still have a talent for stating the bleeding obvious, I see," Liz snapped.

"What's the matter?" he taunted. "Too scared to attack me without your loser friends?"

"You're the one to talk," Liz said, her mouth dry. "You're too scared to attack me when I'm actually able to fight."

BANG! Liz felt her head snap backward and tasted blood in her mouth as she bit her tongue. She opened her eyes to find Snape's face inches from hers.

"Listen, mudblood," he hissed, "I'm going to leave you alone because if I do anything, your so-called friends will want revenge, and I really don't need that. But- taunt me again, hex me one more time, and there will be hell to pay."

Liz spat at him. He wiped his face, then climbed past her, kicking her in the shoulder as he passed. To her shame, she couldn't stop the reflex tears from falling.

"And, by the way," Snape called as he reached the top of the stairs. "Your boyfriend Lupin doesn't seem to be doing do well lately, does he? _Mooning_ about the place, _growling_ at everything-"

"_What do you mean?_" Liz snarled. Snape assumed an all-knowing expression that positively infuriated her.

"You don't _know_?" he asked in a superior tone. "I knew you were dumb, but I never thought you could be so _stupid_."

"Tell me!" she yelled. Her voice echoed down the stairwell.

"No, I don't think I will," Snape said. "Have fun in there. I'm sure someone will find you... eventually."

"SNAPE!" Liz roared, thrashing about in an attempt to escape, but only succeeded in sinking another few inches. She quickly stopped. As far as she knew, nobody had fallen through a trick step before, and she certainly didn't want to be known as the first.

"Ooh, when I get my hands on you..." she muttered, seething.

The seconds lengthened into minutes, the minutes into hours. Liz couldn't yell for help without fear of being discovered by a Slytherin. She wanted to cry. She was bored out of her mind, her legs had long since gone numb, her nose itched and she couldn't scratch it, she was hungry and thirsty, and she had to go to the bathroom. Really, really badly.

Liz spent her time stuck pondering about Snape's comment, but for the life of her, she couldn't come up with anything. Remus had disappeared around the end of January, and had returned with a really bad limp. Now, he had been getting grumpy recently, so she and the others assumed he'd be leaving soon with a really bad lie to cover his tracks, and would return exhausted and with more injuries. What frustrated her more than not being able to figure it out was that Snape seemed to know and she didn't.

After her second hour, Liz was really starting to panic. Dinner was probably over by now, so maybe the Marauders would decide to go tho the common room by this route. She didn't want to imagine spending the night in the stair.

Liz's lower back was now starting to go numb. She tried wriggling her toes but couldn't feel them at all. She was boiling, since she couldn't take her sweatshirt off. And, just to add insult to her salt-rubbed injuries, she was probably going to fail her next Charms test because she couldn't get her homework done. Liz dropped her chin to her chest and finally gave in to her tears.

Suddenly, she snapped her head back up, wiping her cheeks on her shoulders. Liz could have sworn she'd heard voices. Liz was about to call out, but stopped. What if they were Slytherins? She wouldn't live long enough to see the sunrise, that's for sure.

"Where do you think she could be? I'm really worried."

"So are we, but we don't have any ideas on how to find her. She's not on the grounds, she's not in the library, she wasn't at dinner, and when I asked Snape if she'd gone and hexed him, he said he hadn't seen her all day and to go-"

"I"M OVER HERE!" Liz screamed, all dignity forgotten. She knew those voices! "GUYS, I'M STUCK IN THE TRICK STAIR! REMUS! JAMES! SIRIUS, PETER, HELP!"

Footsteps punded down the corridor and Liz yelled with relief as the Marauders raced to meet her.

"Elizabeth! Thank Merlin you're alright!" Remus said, grabbing one arm and trying to pull her up. Sirius took the other and James grabbed the back of her sweatshirt and they pulled her out of that awful hole. They lay panting on the stairs, Liz crying with relief.

"I'm so glad we found you," Remus said, hugging her. He suddenly let go, looking embarassed. Liz wanted to hug him back, but knew he wouldn't like it. Sirius, James and Peter all hugged her too.

"We've been searching for an hour! How long have you been in there?" James demanded.

"Two," Liz said, a chill running up her spine. She suddenly no longer wanted to take her sweatshirt off. "I-I was so scared, I thought I'd have to spend the night there, I'm thirsty and hungry-" she shut her mouth. Liz thought she looked like a baby to them now, just a stupid girl who got herself stuck in the stairs and needed the boys to rescue her.

"I'm just happy you're safe," Sirius said, hugging her again. Liz sighed, wishing it was Remus, but nooooo, he was so _stupid-_

"Can we go to the kitchens?" Liz asked, pulling away. She winced as the pins-and-needles sensation began to creep down to her toes. "I'm so hungry I could eat a hippogriff!" She tried to stand up but found she couldn't- her legs just wouldn't allow it. James made her feather light, then scooped her up and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"No problem," he said cheerfully as they went to the basement. "So how did you end up in there, anyway?"

"Peeves grabbed my nose and made me slip and fall," Liz said. "Why did I have to teach him that trick, I must have been Confunded or something..."

"Probably," Sirius agreed cheerfully. "So, Peeves pushed you? And you spent two hours in that step with nothing to do?"

"Well, almost right after I fell in, Snape came along..."

As Liz retold her encounter with the greasy git, omitting the part about Remus, the Maruaders' expressions darkened.

"That little-" Sirius swore. "And when he said he hadn't seen you! I am going to _kill_ him!"

"No, you're not," Liz said angrily, "Because I am!"

"Can I at least help?" Sirius asked.

"Nobody should be killing anybody!" Remus snapped. "It's not something to joke about, you guys!"

"Calm down, Remmy," James said, turning around so Liz couldn't see the others.

"Don't call me REMMY!" Remus yelled. He glared at them, his face contorted, a shadow passing over it. Liz could have sworn she recognized that look from somewhere- but where? It was right at the back of her mind, she only needed a small push to figure it out-

"Er, can you walk now?" James asked Liz, deciding it would be best to not talk to Remus right then.

Liz wiggled her toes. The pins-and-needles feeling was mostly gone. "Yeah, I think so." James set her down and removed the levitation charm. She wobbled unsteadily, reaching out for some kind of support. Somebody grabbed her shoulders and held her steady. "Thanks," she said, looking behind her at Remus. He smiled briefly at her, but the look was gone, replaced with something that seemed to weigh heavily on his heart. Liz shook off these fanciful notions along with his hands. "I can walk, guys."

They continued down to the kitchens in silence. When Sirius tickled the pear and the other three climbed in, Liz grabbed James and held him back. "I think Snape knows something about Remus. I need to talk to you and the others tonight in the common room."

Sirius stuck his head back out into the corridor. "What are you two whispering about?"

"Nothing," they chorused, but Liz gave the tall boy a meaningful look. He glanced over his shoulder, then back at her and nodded. He held out a hand to help Liz up, which she ignored. She could bloody well get through a portrait hole by herself, thank you!

Liz chowed down on the food the house-elves brought her, barely pausing to breathe. After watching her eat, Sirius and James asked for some food as well, something Remus seemed to find highly amusing. When Liz felt like she might explode from all the food she'd eaten, she took a last swig of pumpkin juice and let out a belch. "That was really good," she said happily as James and Sirius belched as well.

"You guys are so gross," Remus said, rolling his eyes.

"Weren't you the one having a burping contest with Liz before our first flying lesson?" Sirius asked snidely. "That's right, you were!"

Remus glowered and opened his mouth, but Liz, sensing another fight, said quickly, "Well, I guess it just proves Remus is the most mature one, doesn't it?" Remus rolled his eyes again, but let it go. Liz breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She really wasn't in the mood for Remus and Sirius to get into another row.

They said their good-nights to Ikki and went up to the dorms. Liz went upstairs only to change into her favorite pajamas before going back to the common room and curling catlike in an armchair, watching the flames burn lower and lower as she waited for the boys to come downstairs. She yawned. _Remus was taking an awfully long time to fall asleep_, she thought. Her eyes began to droop as the night wore on.

At around eleven o'clock, she heard footsteps and jolted awake, turning to watch the stairs. James, Sirius and Peter padded over to her and sat down.

"Sorry we're late, Remus was reading," James whispered apologetically.

"It's fine," Liz said, shrugging. "Wish I'd thought of that, actually, I think I fell asleep for a while."

"James said you wanted to tell us something?" Peter asked. "About Remus?"

"Yeah." Liz leaned in instinctively; the others mirrored her movement. "Snivellus was saying he knew what was going on with Remus. He mentioned him not looking well, so if he's right, then there really is a connection to his sudden mood swing and later disappearance."

"Do you remember what he said, exactly?" James said, and Liz frowned, rubbing her temples.

"Well, he said I was really stupid because it's so obvious..." she said slowly. "He said Remus was moping around- _did_ he say moping?" She frowned.

"You tell us," Sirius said exasperatedly.

"I guess it was moping, but that doesn't sound quite right- and he was getting mad at everything." Liz felt her eyelids begin to droop and she snapped her head back up. "Wow, I'm tired."

"I'm not surprised- being stuck in a small space can really drain you," James said. They all looked at him. "What?" he said. "I was playing hide-and seek with my mum when I was little and hid in the cupboard and got stuck!"

"Oookaaay," Liz said. She yawned and everyone copied her. "We should keep a really close eye on Remus- I think he's going to be disappearing again in a few days, and as long as we're observant, we should be able to figure him out once and for all!"

"Guys?" Remus' sleepy voice came from the stairs. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing!" They said, but Liz knew their guilty faces shone like beacons in the dimness of the common room. Remus bit his lip and without another word, he turned and went back to his room.

"Oh, Merlin, this isn't good," James muttered. He hurried after Remus, calling softly, "Remus! Wait up!"

"Bye, Liz," Sirius said morosely, and ran after the boys, Peter tagging after him. Liz watched them go and sighed. Remus was not going to be happy tomorrow.

**xxx**

Her suspicions proved to be correct. At breakfast the next day, Remus sat as far away from everybody as possible, refusing to make eye contact with anybody.

"What did you say to him?" Liz asked in annoyance after saying hi to the moody boy and getting no response.

"I told him we were helping you with Charms stuff," James said.

"Is that really the best you could come up with? No wonder he's mad, I'd know something was going on- heck, even Peter would know what was going on!" Liz said, gesturing at the chubby boy.

"Whaaa?" Peter asked, looking up from his bacon.

"Nothing," Liz sighed. The Marauders watched Remus all day, but remained utterly baffled by his refusal to speak. He disappeared last period Tuesday and didn't show up for dinner. They passed some time Wednesday by turning Snape's hair pink and sticking him to the wall, but they remained worried. As they predicted, he returned Thursday with a bandage on his wrist and shadows under his eyes. Remus managed to avoid them for most of the day, but that evening in the boys' room, they cornered him against the window.

"Remus, where were you yesterday?" Liz demanded after locking the door. Remus' eyes darted from one face to the other.

"I- I was at my- aunt's house," he stuttered. "She was- sick-"

"Remus, please don't insult our intelligence," James said calmly.

"We're your friends!" Sirius said. "You can tell us anything, we wouldn't be mad! We promised, remember?"

Remus muttered something under his breath. "I'm sorry," he said, "I'm sorry you don't believe me. My aunt is really, really sick and we're worried she'll-"

"Cut the garbage, Remus, just tell us!" Liz said.

"Leave me ALONE!" he yelled, drawing his wand. They all took a step back. Although Liz was definitely the best out of all of them in combat spells, Remus was still a very formidable opponent. And right now, he was very, very angry.

Liz was shocked. Remus always got irritable _before_ he disappeared, not after. She had never seen him lose his temper save for those times. Whatever he was hiding, it must be bad.

Remus looked at the wand in his hand and seemed to deflate. He put it away and climbed into bed, fully dressed, and yanked his hangings shut so forcibly that they ripped. He cursed under his breath, mended them shabbily with his wand, and ignored them.

They looked at one another. "Now you've done it," James said accusingly to Liz. She bristled.

"What are you blaming me for? This was your idea!"

"You're the one who got him mad at us!" he countered.

"Well, sorry for trying to help our friend," Liz snapped. She went to bed, still mad at Remus for his deceit, at James for his pigheadedness, at Snape for mocking them, at Peeves for getting her stuck in the trick stair, at herself for not being able to figure Remus out, and at Flitwick for the mountain of homework that she had no way of finishing before tomorrow.

Sometimes, she really, really hated her life.

**xxx**

As much as the Marauders tried to talk to Remus over the next month, he stalwartly refused to acknowledge their presence. Whenever they were in the same room, he'd leave if he could, and if not, hide behind a book until they gave up trying to talk to him.

March seemed to creep by slower than a fat old Flobberworm. The sun finally decided to make itself known to the world once more as spring came in full force. Remus' birthday went by without his being thrown in the lake, much to their sadness. The Marauders were distracted from their Remus problem for a day when Ravenclaw managed to pull a victory over Slytherin for the Quidditch Cup, but when Remus disappeared the next day, their worries came back, along with an unpleasant bout of stomach flu for James' birthday, which meant no lake for him either. Madam Pomferey wouldn't let them in to see James, but when he returned, he had a very interesting story to tell.

"So, there were these curtains around the bed closest to Pomferey's office, right? They weren't there the night before, I didn't hear them being put up. And I thought that maybe it might have been Remus on the bed- remember at the beginning of the year when the nurse wouldn't let us in to see him, when he first disappeared? So when Madam Pomferey went into her office, I snuck out of bed to see if anybody was there."

"Was there?" Liz breathed.

"There sure was," James said. "And I was right- it _was_ Remus."

"Was he-" Sirius asked.

James seemed to understand. "He looked horrible, mate- all cut up, one of his arms was mangled, he has a new slice on his face-"

"You don't think he does all that to himself, do you?" Peter asked.

"Don't say something so horrible, Pete," Liz snapped. "Besides, Madam Pomferey wouldn't let him if she knew."

"So, what did you do?" Sirius asked James.

"I just kind of watched him for a while, then I heard Pomferey start coming out of her office so I ran back to my bed- nearly threw up, it wasn't pleasant- and I listened to her wake him up. I guess she was working on healing him, but for some reason, I don't think she could heal him all the way."

"But why not?" Liz asked. "Healing spells always work perfectly if you know what you're doing, and Madam Pomferey's an expert."

"I dunno," James said worriedly. "He's still in there, though. Recuperating. Pomferey asked him 'How was it?' and he said something about a rough night. he sounded really hoarse, too."

"And he'll be back tomorrow with another lie and looking like he lost a fight with a manticore," Liz said thoughtfully. She slammed her fist on the table. "It all adds up, I know it! So why can't we figure it out?"

Sirius sighed. "I can't believe I'm the one suggesting this, but-" his face twisted in an ugly grimace. "I think we need to go back to the library."

It was a mark of how serious the situation was that nobody made any cracks about Sirius wanting to read something other than his prank book. They spent all their free time that month in the library, trying to research as much as possible as well as study for the rapidly approaching finals. Liz's hopes of being able to make up with Remus before next month's disappearance faded after he vanished again one night-

Wait a second-

Next month?

"Guys!" Liz said, jumping up out of her armchair. "I can't believe it! Snape was right! It's so obvious once you think about it!"

"What are you talking about, Eb?" Sirius said, swinging his legs off the couch.

"Come upstairs," Liz ordered with a half glance in Lily's direction. She grabbed Sirius' and James' arms and dragged them up to the boys' dorm. Peter followed them reluctantly.

"What's so obvious?" James demanded as Liz sat on Remus' unoccupied bed.

"Lock the door," she ordered. He did so impatiently, then sat on his own bed. "I just realized that Remus' disappearances have been pretty regular. We've noticed how he gets moody a week or so before, but what we never realized was that it happened once a month."

James frowned. "I dunno, Liz, I-"

"I think I can prove it," Liz said, rummaging in her bag and pulling out her journal. "Look-" she ran her finger down the dates. "September 5, October 4, November 2, December 2. Then it jumps to the end of the month. January 30, February 29, March 29, and now today, April 28? They're too similar for it to be a coincidence."

"There must be something special about those days then," Sirius mused. "What do you think it could be?"

"Maybe if we started with today, we'd be able to figure it out," James said. "So, what do we know about today that's special or significant?"

"It's Ashley Nickels' birthday today," Peter said. Everyone stared at him and he blushed. "You know, she's the pretty Ravenclaw, the blond one in our year?"

"Oh, today's her birthday?" Sirius asked. "Shame, I could have said-"

James waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind some Ravenclaw looney tune, what else happens or happened today in the past? Does anyone still have their History of Magic book? I lost mine ages ago."

"Don't you think it would be more prudent to check the newspapers in the library tomorrow?" Liz asked. "I mean, if we used the textbook, we'd have to read the whole thing, whereas the newspapers are organized by date."

"Oh... yeah, good point. But why wait until tomorrow to research when we can take the cloak and go tonight?" James slid off his bed and began throwing things out of his trunk- scales for Potions, moon charts and a telescope for Astronomy, his lost copy of _A History of Magic_ ("Hey! There it is!"), and several owl treats before extraciting the invisibility cloak from the jumbled mess inside.

"Come on, James, can't it wait until morning?" Peter complained.

"No," James said, a dark look on his face. "Pete, you didn't see Remus in the Hospital Wing; I did. And if you think I'm going to let him keep getting hurt needlessly for any longer, you're crazier than Filch." Sirius got off his bed.

"I understand, James. We'll come with you. I- OOF!" Sirius had slipped on James' moon chart that had been carelessly flung across the room. "Merlin, James, I could've broken my neck!" He picked up the chart, glanced at it, and froze. He dropped the chat suddenly and ran over to the window, stuck his head out, then ran back to the moon chart. His face was pale. "Ebony?" he said, his voice shaking. "What were those dates again?"

"Why?" she asked, joining him on the floor. James and Peter came with her.

"I think I figured it out," Sirius said, "But it ain't pretty."

"Anytime today would be nice," James said irritably.

"Think about it," Sirius said. "Remus disappears every month, once a month, without fail. He gets really grumpy about a week beforehand and comes back exhausted and beaten. And do you remember?" he asked, turning to James. "You said be had all those weird scars and a mark on his shoulder..."

"A bite mark," James whispered. "Sirius, please tell me you're joking."

"Remember his boggart?" Sirius asked quietly. "I thought it was a crystal ball, but it wasn't. It was a moon."

"Full moon," Liz whispered, picking up the chart.

"I don't get it," Peter said. James began to explain again.

Liz scanned the chart until she found today's date, labeled as a full moon. The temperature seemed to drop twenty degrees. The liking for rare steaks. The initial reluctance to make friends. The way she sometimes swore that his bright blue eyes had turned to amber for a day. The dream she had on New Year's Eve, another full moon, about the wolf. Remus' face the day she was trapped in the stair, when she'd seen that strange shadow- a mirror image of the wolf in her dreams.

Liz got up and went to the open window and leaned on the sill. The night wind blew across her face, whipping several stray hairs into her mouth. She spat them out, studying the moon above. It shone innocently on her, bright and beautiful and cold.

Remus was a werewolf.

It made sense, when she thought about it. A range of emotions jumbled about inside her- happiness that they finally knew what was going on, resignation to the truth, surprise, and anger at Remus for not telling them. Did he think they would abandon him? Liz wanted to storm down to the Hospital Wing and refuse to leave until Remus came back, but knew that was impossible. What would he think? He'd probably freak out. Liz sighed.

"A werewolf?" Peter yelped.

"Keep your voice down," Sirius hissed.

"But- but they're dangerous," Peter protested. Liz, her nerves stretched nearly to breaking point, whirled around.

"Only on the full moon," she snapped. "What did Remus ever do to make you believe that? He's the gentlest person in this school? Who always does their homework religiously? Who's the one always telling us off for hexing Snape? Who's the one who didn't want to make friends initially because he probably thought we'd react like you are now?" Liz became aware of the tears streaking down her cheeks and she wiped them away.

"Don't pretend like you aren't surprised," Peter said defensively.

"Surprised, yes. Upset? Yes, but only because he didn't tell us. Peter, it shouldn't matter that Remus is different! What matters is that he's a human being like us, and deserves to be treated no differently."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Sirius said, smiling sadly at her. "Peter, it's not that hard to get. Remus is a great guy- sometimes he's about as interesting as a Flobberworm, but he's still our friend. What if it was you?"

Peter bit his lip. "I- I can try," he said doubtfully.

"Good man- I mean, Marauder," James said, patting Peter on the shoulder. "Now, we need to figure out how to tell him we know without scaring him off.

"I think we should wait some," Sirius said. "Get him talking to us again. When the time is right, we'll know, but we really should do it before the end of the school year."

"That gives us less than two months," Liz said.

She yawned, then stopped almost immediately, running back over to the widow. Her mouth was dry. "Do you guys hear that?"

The Marauders followed her to the window and listened. Liz felt her heart clench as she heard the howls drifting across the grounds from Hogsmeade. She knew only too well what happened to werewolves that were locked up.

"Remus," James murmured. "He does that to himself every full moon- those scars- some of them might have been from when he was bitten, but do you remember his face? And his arm?"

"I think he must go to the Shrieking Shack every month," Sirius said thoughtfully, leaning out the window. "Do you remember those stories we heard back in- what was it, October? Once a month, they said, that was how often they heard the screaming. That's why we couldn't get in. I'll bet they have wards set up- anything that can keep a werewolf in will definitely keep a bunch of kids out."

"You think Dumbledore knows, then?" Peter asked.

"It makes sense really- I mean, Madam Pomferey does, I'm certain of it," James said.

"This is not going to be pleasant," Sirius said. "Remus was scared to tell us for a reason. He's more than likely going to react badly."

"I can't blame him," Liz said, glaring at Peter.

"So we start trying to talk to him after he gets back?" Sirius asked, and they all nodded. "All right then."

"I need to get my homework finished," Liz said reluctantly. "See you guys in the morning."

But Liz couldn't concentrate. She kept looking up from her work every two seconds, glancing out the window. At midnight, he finally decided to give it up as a bad job and went to bed. Even then, she couldn't sleep. She kept imagining Remus- the wolf from her dreams- attacking itself, and wondering how bad Remus would be the next day.

She tossed and turned for a while, then decided she couldn't stand being alone in the girls' dorm with nobody to talk to. She grabbed her pillow and left.

"James?" she whispered, poking him. "James?"

"I couldn't sleep," he said, sitting up. "You?" She shook her head.

"Can I sleep here tonight?" she asked. James held his arm out and she sat down next to him. He wrapped it comfortingly around her shoulders and she hugged him back.

"I'm worried about Remus," she confessed. James nodded, staring out the window.

"We all are," he said. "I'm not going to lie. But he's always come back before, right?"

"Not without looking like he's been tortured," Liz said. _Don't cry_, she told herself. That was when she did start to cry, burying her face in James' shoulder. "What if he doesn't come back?" she whispered, hating herself for voicing it.

James sighed. "I can't promise you anything," he said. "But do you really think Madam Pomferey would let anything happen to him?"

"There's only so much she can do though," Liz said. "Werewolf wounds are cursed, you can only heal them so much with spells…"

"Look at me," James said. Liz lifted her head. "Liz, when Remus comes back a little scratched up but fine, you're going to look at today and laugh."

"I find that doubtful," she muttered. But she did begin to feel a little better. She lay down next to James. "Thanks," she murmured.

"Don't hog the sheets," was all he said, then rolled over so his back was to her.

"James?"

"What?"

"Your bed smells."

**xxx**

Remus returned as James said, banged up but otherwise fine, and Liz was able to breathe a huge sigh of relief. None of the Marauders seemed to know quite how to react to him. Peter found it hard to look at him, while James, Sirius and Liz found themselves staring at him from across the classroom.

Finally, at lunch when Remus left, presumably to go to the library, James nudged Liz with his foot and she followed Remus out of the Great Hall and up to the Hospital Wing. Liz lurked behind a tapestry while she waited for him, then followed him down to the library. She made sure to wait until he rounded the corner before running down each corridor, then she would poke her head around the corner and watch until it was safe, then repeat the process.

After Remus entered the library, Liz waited a few minutes before she went in as well. She pulled down a random book on Charms and sat down next to Remus. He stiffened and made as though he were about to get up, but Liz grabbed his arm.

"Can we talk?" she said. Remus bit his lip. Liz looked at his eyes closely and her suspicions were confirmed- his eyes had turned gold.

"I suppose so," he said reluctantly. "What do you want?" Liz sighed at the defensive tone.

"We miss you, Remus," she said. "I miss you, James misses you, Sirius and Peter miss you- we want you to come back."

"You mean so you can start butting into my business again?" Remus said and Liz flinched at the tone. "Sorry," he said quietly.

"It's alright," Liz said. "Please, Remus? We promise- for good this time- we won't butt in."

"How do I know I can trust that?" Remus asked. "It's not like you honored it before."

"That's because we didn't realize what it would mean if we interfered," Liz said, hating having to lie to him. "We didn't realize we would lose you as a friend." She held up her hand, pinkie extended. "Please?"

Remus smiled, the first real smile Liz had seen on his face in nearly two months. He held his hand out as well. "All right," he said, locking pinkies with her. Liz felt her face heat up and quickly let go.

"It's good to have you back," she said sincerely.

"So, what have I missed since I was gone?" Remus asked, marking his book carefully.

"Let's see," Liz said. "Ravenclaw won the Quidditch Cup, Jame's birthday was back in March, but we couldn't throw him in the lake because he got sick, and you missed your birthday, which means we'll be throwing you in this weekend."

"Oh, come on," Remus complained.

"We got you chocolate," she said. Remus hesitated.

"Is it from Honeydukes?" he asked and she grinned.

"Where else?" she asked. "Peter was all for eating it when you weren't talking to us, but James locked it in his trunk."

"Tell him I said thanks," Remus said dryly.

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" Liz asked. "They're still at lunch now."

"Well-" Liz silenced him with a look. "Fine."

"Come on, then," she said, grabbing his wrist and pulling him out of the library. "James has been moping around because he's had nobody to have an intelligent conversation with, and Sirius has been down because he's had to use all his pranks on Peter, and I really really need help with my Charms work, and I think Lily misses you too, though she won't admit it."

"Glad to know I'm so loved," Remus said, laughing as he was dragged down to the Great Hall.

James, Sirius and Peter jumped up as soon as they entered the Hall and caught Remus up in a group hug. "Remus! You're back!" James said.

"We missed you, mate," Sirius said.

"I missed you guys, too," Remus said as James let go to ruffle the boy's hair.

"Well then, why did you never come to talk to us?" Sirius demanded as they went back to their seats. Lily waved at Remus from down the table and he waved back.

"Because I was scared," Remus said quietly, taking his rightful seat next to Liz.

"We won't do it again," Sirius promised rashly. Liz kicked him under the table and he winced. "What was that for?" he hissed in her ear.

"Think about what will happen when we tell him," she hissed back. Sirius looked slightly abashed, but set his chin stubbornly. Liz wanted to smack him. She settled for kicking him again instead. This time, he kicked her back.

**xxx**

April ended and May began. The Marauders were together again, throwing Remus and James in the lake for their late birthdays and planning the end-of-year prank, but there was a darkness hidden just below the surface of the group. Remus still thought the rest of them remained ignorant to his condition, while the other four were finding it harder and harder every day to keep from blurting out that they knew everything.

Liz couldn't believe that the year had flown by so quickly. It came as a real shock to her when Professor McGonagall announced exams would be in three weeks, and she threw herself into studying with Remus while James and Sirius would goof off in the common room. Liz helped Remus in Potions while he would help her with Charms, but Liz was not optimistic about her chances of a good mark. Although she finally got the hang of Expulso, most of the charms remained out of her grasp, resulting in a repeatedly frustrated Liz and a fed up Remus.

"Look, when you use the charm, the pineapple tap-dances, it's not that hard," Remus snapped. The full moon was due to rise in a few hours and he was becoming testy.

"If it's not that hard, then why can't I get it?" Liz yelled, throwing her book down. "Some default smart person I turned out to be."

"Well, I'm not the best at Potions, but-"

"Well, you're probably going to pass," Liz said. "I just can't do it."

"At least you don't have to be worried about being thrown out if your grades aren't up to par!" Remus said irritably.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Liz asked, jumping on his slip, hoping he would fess up on his own.

"Nothing." Remus gathered his stuff and went up to bed, leaving Liz to give her book a death glare.

"Why me?" she asked of nobody in particular. "Even Peter's never had problems at anything like this!

_But Peter's never been the best at anything, has he?_ A voice in her head said. _At least you have your combat spells. What does Peter have?_

Liz began to feel slightly better as she picked her book back up. The temporary good mood disappeared almost immediately once she started reading. She took it to dinner, not talking to James, Sirius or Peter as she read with one hand and ate with the other. Remus had gone up to the Hospital Wing with the excuse of his aunt's funeral. They had offered their condolences, then left for dinner.

"I think we should do it when he gets back," James said suddenly. Glad for an excuse to stop studying, Liz set her book down.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Positive," James answered. "It was just wrong, giving him our fake sympathies for his fake aunt. It's nothing more than a charade, and it has to end."

"Plus, this way we can stop Dranseau once and for all," Sirius said. "We can get him for being mean to Remus, there's no way Dumbledore would let it happen once he knows what's going on."

"So, day after tomorrow?" James said. "It's a Tuesday, but we get off early to study this week, remember?"

Sirius snorted. "Like anybody will actually use that time to study," he said.

"Well, not all of us are gifted with your ability to do nothing all day and still get near-perfect grades," Liz grumbled.

"Geez, Eb, you're worse than Moony today," Sirius said, laughing.

"Moony?" They asked.

"Who's Moony?" James asked. Sirius shrugged.

"I thought that could be Remus' Marauder nickname," he said. "I mean, it fits, you know? Ebony for the prophetic ebony unicorns, Moony because- well, you know."

"Fine, Remus is Moony," James said. "But Sirius, when you give me my nickname, you'd better make it a good one."

**xxx**

Liz licked her lips nervously. The Marauders were lounging outside under their tree, James and Sirius throwing rocks at each other, Peter throwing rocks in the lake, and Remus was reading his Transfiguration textbook. He was still exhausted from the full moon and one of his hands was bandaged. They had accepted his excuse of accidentally cutting himself with a knife while slicing vegetables, making no fuss as they wanted to get him outside without any animosity.

Liz caught James' eye and he nodded. Her heart plummeted to her stomach, jolted by adrenaline. She suddenly didn't think she could do it.

It was Sirius who spoke up. "Remus, we need to talk to you."

Remus looked up. "Yeah…?" he asked, putting his book aside reluctantly.

"Remus," He said it deliberately. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"T-tell you what?" Remus asked nervously.

"Where you go every month," James said. Remus paled visibly.

"I- just have a- a lot of stuff to do-"

"Remus," Liz said gently. "We know you're a werewolf."

There was dead silence, then in a flash, Remus was up and running. James, Sirius and Peter were too slow, but Liz had been expecting it and was sprinting as fast as she could after him. She tackled him from behind, just like on Sirius' birthday, her arms wrapping around his neck. They fell to the ground. Remus kicked out, trying frantically to escape, but Liz held tight.

Suddenly, there was a sharp, searing pain in her right wrist. Liz screamed and let go, blood dripping from a crescent bite mark on her wrist, watching through blurred vision as Remus leapt up and ran back to the castle.

He didn't look back.

* * *

**A/N: So, what did you think? And what will happen to our *coughmycough* favorite fifth Marauder now that she's been bitten? O_o I am SO evil!**

**My mom gave me an awesome hair wrap (red and yellow) and put my Lego Gryffindor shield on it. It's really, really cool :)**

**I always wondered what happened when you Transfigured/Vanished animals, and really doubt I'd be able to do either and not burst out crying. But seriously, what happens to them?**

**As for Snape coming upon trapped Liz- I got tired of reading how a bunch of Slytherins gang up on the fifth Marauder and torture her. It's just... I've seen a few well-written scenarios like that before, but it's just really, really dumb. Hermione was never tortured by Malfoy while they were at school, was she? No, she wasn't, thank you very much. (Sorry about the rant, I just had to get that out.)**

**Not that anyone cares, but I painted my nails red and blue for the 4th (Happy Fourth of July to all my American readers, by the way!) and just realized- Gryffindor and Ravenclaw colors! My two favorite houses!**

**I won't be able to update again until the 13th because I'll be busy visiting my family! But don't worry, I'll still have plenty of time to write.**

**Another story recommendation for my readers- _Nico's Double Troubles_ by TwinsOfNeptune. It's only one chapter so far, but it is a really good start and I think Percy Jackson fans will like it. Thanks for the reviews, you guys! Have a cauldron cake, or some Olympian olive-and-pepperoni pizza!**

**Review, and I will love you forever! ...Okay, that sounded creepy. And stalkerish. *shrugs***

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**

* * *

**Anonymous Reviewers: **

**Guest:** this is awesome! i love this story! can't wait for more chapters!

**I'm still writing, don't worry!**

* * *

**Guest: **sybill is so perfectly done! this story matches the works of jkr herself! this was an awesome chap. i hope they put something creepy in remus' bed. like a flobberworm. anyway, can't wait for the next chap!

**I didn't think I got Sybill, but it's nice that someone does! :) JKR... as much as I appreciate the compliment *runs around the house screaming like an idiot* only one person can be the awesome JKR, and that is the awesome JKR herself. And yeah, Remus got something gross in his bed :P**

* * *

**JoeSax: **my account isn't working so I will have to do it this way. I love your story. It is brilliant

**I hate it when my account shuts me out for no reason and doesn't let me log on for EVER! I've always been pretty bad at receiving compliments, so thank you :3 Brilliant, eh? That's a new one :)**


	18. Bitten

**A/N: Wow! Almost 100 reviews? I love you guys!**

**We arrived safe and sound at my cousins' house and they say hi. :)**

**I won't be able to post for awhile because I'll be too busy to type. Cheers!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything.**

* * *

Remus ran to the doors, his heart pounding. He was horrified at what he'd done- in his terror, trying to get away, he'd bitten Liz.

He'd bitten Liz!

_He'd bitten Liz!_

What had he _done_?

Remus raced through the castle, tears blurring his vision. He snapped the password at the Fat Lady and slammed the door to the boys' dorm. He went into the bathroom- he could taste her blood on his teeth. Remus spat in the sink. His saliva was now tinged with red. He felt tainted.

He brushed his teeth vigorously, trying to scrub away the evil he had done. But when he looked back in the mirror and sa his yellow eyes staring back at him, there was no denying it.

He'd bitten Liz.

There was no way he could stay at Hogwarts. The Marauders would tell everyone. He would be kicked out, and, if by some miracle, he wasn't, he would be ridiculed throughout the school, abandoned, hated.

He was a monster.

Remus left the bathroom and began to pack his things, not caring about folding them neatly, just piling them all pell-mell in his trunk. Something fell out of his binder and he picked it up.

It was his own copy of the photo he'd given the others, back when they were happy, back when they were the Marauders. Back when he had friends. A tear slid down his cheek as he watched his photographic self give Liz a hug. Those days were over. Remus wondered what would happen to him now. His stomach lurched at the thought of the Department for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. He had bitten Liz, there was no way out of it.

If he left now, though, there was still a chance. Remus redoubled his packing speed, practically throwing his belongings in his trunk.

There was a knock on the door. He froze.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Liz clutched her wrist to her chest, not caring that she was staining her shirt with her blood. It _hurt_. Oh, Merlin, it _hurt_! She thought her hand might very well fall off; it was as though someone had pressed a brand around her wrist. Dimly, she thought through the pain that if this was what a human werewolf's bite felt like, a fully transformed wolf's must feel a hundred times worse.

"I'll get Remus!" Sirius yelled as he ran past Liz. "Take cake of Liz, James!" Incoherent babbling, meaningless words. The only thing that existed was the pain.

James skidded to a halt next to Liz and he knelt, pulling his tie off and taking her wrist gently. Liz shrank back, curled around her wrist, growling at him. She didn't want anyone to touch it. What if this person kneeling next to her wanted to hurt it more?

"Liz," James said quietly. "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." His tone calmed her and she reluctantly allowed him to take her hand and wrap his tie around the injury. Liz blinked several times at James, forcing her eyes to focus on the familiar face.. "See? It's just me." He smiled weakly at her. "Can you speak?"

It took her a while to respond. "Yes…" she slurred. "Hurts." She had a sharp pain in her head, behind her eyes.

"I'm going to take you to the Hospital Wing, okay?" he continued. "I'm going to have to carry you, is that alright?"

"Yeah…" Liz felt odd, like her head was floating in the clouds. She knew, by all rights, that a simple bite shouldn't hurt this much. Then she remembered that it was Remus who'd bitten her. "James?" she whispered.

"What?" James said as he picked her up carefully.

"Am I going to be a werewolf now?" James gnawed on the inside of his cheek.

"I don't know, Eb, I just don't know."

Liz held her wrist close to her. Blood began to seep through James' tie and leak onto her shirt again. As James carried her to the Hospital Wing, Peter trotting behind them, Liz began to struggle. She didn't want to be carried!

"Hold still!" James ordered, tightening his grip on her.

"I can walk, though," Liz hissed through her teeth, which were gritted against the pain. "I'll need to lean on you, though."

"All right…" James carefully put her down. She swayed, and he grabbed her shoulders. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Peter looked at Liz accusingly. "I told you, see? I told you wer-"

"Shut up," James snapped. "Couldn't you tell? Remus was just trying to get away. He was _scared_ of us, Pete, and I can't blame him! He's probably used to being hated ever since he was bitten, and I'd bet my broomstick he thought Liz was trying to hurt him! I'd have done the same thing, probably! So you can just shut up."

Peter didn't look convinced, but fell silent anyway.

"We'll have to tell Madam Pomferey what happened," Liz said. The pain wasn't lessening, but she found that if she talked, it was distracting, and she welcomed it. "She'll need to know if she's going to fix it up…but I don't want to get Remus expelled, I-" she hissed as her wrist flared again.

The walk to the Hospital Wing seemed to take forever. Even using several shortcuts, Liz was still drained when they finally pushed open the doors to the nurse's office.

"Madam Pomferey?" James called.

* * *

Sirius was shaken by what had happened. Sure, they had expected Remus to react badly, but nobody had ever imagined one of them might get bitten. Would Liz become a werewolf? And what would happen to Remus now?

More importantly at the moment- where was Remus?

Sirius skidded to a stop in the entrance hall. He thought about it. If he was in Remus' place, where would he go? As a werewolf, Remus could very well face death for having bitten a human, so if it were him, he'd want to get out of the castle as soon as possible. That meant the logical place to go would be the dorms.

"Is Remus in here?" Sirius asked the Fat Lady.

"The scarred boy?" Sirius nodded. "He came through not three minutes ago, all upset he was-"

"Venomous Tentacula," Sirius said. The Fat Lady, looking a little disgruntled at being interrupted, swung open and Sirius leapt through.

He could hear somebody darting around the dorm, and the clatter and thud as various belongings were thrown into a trunk. Sirius, not wanting to startle Remus, knocked.

The noises ceased for a moment, then started up again. Sirius sighed and pushed the door open.

Remus whipped around when Sirius entered, and expression of pure terror on his face. "I'm sorry!" he cried, backing away and stumbling on the hem of his robes. "I didn't mean to! Please, don't hurt me!"

Sirius took a step forward, his heart breaking to see his friend so scared of him. Remus yelped and fell over. Sirius held his hand out. "Come on."

Slowly, the fear began to die in Remus' eyes. "You… don't hate me?" he asked suspiciously. "Why?" He ignored the hand.

"Because we're your friends, you idiot," Sirius said. Remus flinched. "…Sorry. But, Remus, we don't care that you're a werewolf. Well, Peter was a little hesitant at first-" Sirius silently cursed himself. "But we've known about it for a month now. We're still your friends."

"I bit Liz," Remus whispered, tears falling down his cheeks. "I'm a monster!"

"Say that again and I'll hex your mouth shut," Sirius snapped. "You were scared, and I can't blame you."

"Liz will hate me," Remus protested. "And how can I know you aren't lying?"

"Listen," Sirius said, dropping his hand and sitting on the floor next to Remus. "When we found out, Liz was really torn up." Remus opened his mouth and Sirius clapped a hand over it. "Shut up and don't say anything. She wasn't upset for the reason you'd think. She was worried about you, we all were, but I think she took it the hardest. We figured out you were giving yourself all those injuries, and she was terrified you wouldn't come back. She spent the night in our dorm back in April, and again last night. She was still crying when I fell asleep."

Remus sat up, wiping his cheeks. "She doesn't hate me?"

"Well, she's probably upset about her hand, but that won't make her hate you," Sirius said, hating himself for the bitterness in his voice. "I mean, she likes you and all."

Remus snorted. "How about you stop making fun of me and let me get back to packing?" He stood up. Sirius did as well and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Dammit, Remus, look at me!" he yelled. "I'm not letting you go anywhere. _We_ won't let you go anywhere. You take on more step in the direction of that trunk and I'll put a full body-bind curse on you, drag you down to the Hospital Wing, and get Liz to knock some sense into your thick skull!" Sirius was crying as well, but he didn't care. If Remus thought he was going to let him go, well, he'd have another thing coming!

Remus looked at the floor, refusing to meet Sirius' gaze. Sirius sighed and pulled the smaller boy into a hug. Remus stiffened. "I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"Don't be," Sirius said. "It's not your fault you were bitten." He let go and sat on his bed, motioning for Remus to sit next to him. When Remus did so, he said, "I'll let you have a moment to calm down, but James and Peter are taking Liz to the Hospital Wing, and I know she'll want to see you."

They were quiet for several minutes, then Remus said suddenly, "I had a friend, once, before I was bitten. We told each other everything, we'd run around and pull pranks on the other kids, spend all day in the woods outside our houses." He sighed, remembering the days long past. "After I was bitten, he wouldn't come to see me. I went over to his house one day and he yelled at me…called me a monster…tried to hit me…then his mum came to see what was going on." Remus pulled his collar down to reveal his shoulder. He pointed to a long white scar, just one of many. "That's how I got this one."

Sirius had to force himself not to start yelling, not wanting to scare his friend. Remus sighed and pulled his shirt back into place. "That's why you were so hesitant to trust us?" Sirius asked, keeping his voice deliberately neutral. "Because of your old friend?" Remus nodded, hugging his knees to his chest. "I was scared to lose you guys," he said. "There were several times I almost told you, but then I'd remember him and his mum and I would lose my nerve…" he gave a bitter laugh. "Some Gryffindor I turned out to be."

Sirius shook his head. "I think you're the bravest out of all of us, Remus," he said. "I don't think I'd have been able to come to Hogwarts, to go through what you do every month… it makes me feel kind of- kind of insignificant by comparison." He punched Remus lightly on the shoulder. "For what it's worth, it doesn't make me think any less of you, Moony."

Remus made a face. "Moony?"

"Yeah, it's your Marauder nickname. I thought it fit," Sirius said.

"Couldn't you have chosen something a little less obvious?" Remus complained.

"Hey, everybody else liked it," Sirius said, shrugging. "Come on, we should get down to the Hos-"

There was another knock, and the door opened to reveal-

"H-hi Professor McGonagall," Sirius stuttered.

The Transfiguration teacher looked grave. "Come with me."

* * *

James waited, but got no answer. He tried again. "Madam Pomferey!"

"What do you want, Potter?" the nurse asked, poking her head around the door, looking irritated. "I'm busy right now, so unless it's serious-"

"It is," James said, no hint of laughter in his voice. "It's Elizabeth, ma'am. She got- well…"

"Miss Auberey?" Madam Pomferey said. "What happened?" she asked, kneeling and gently pulling the tie off Liz's wrist. When she saw the bite mark, she pursed her lips. "Come in here," she said, waving them into her office. Madam Pomferey began cleaning Liz's wrist. The girl winced at her gentle touch.

Madam Pomferey tried to heal Liz's wrist with her wand, but the cuts refused to close. She tried again with the same results. The nurse looked at James. "I need you to get me some bandages- they're in those cabinets, second on the left." James hurried over to the cabinet and pulled out a roll of white linen. As Madam Pomferey dressed the wound, she said, "Normally, I don't ask too many questions since I prefer you come here when you get injured and not worry about getting in trouble, but I'm afraid to say that unless you tell me what happened, exactly, I won't be able to do anything for this."

Liz gulped and looked at James. James shrugged helplessly. "We were outside, you see…" he said. "And, er…"

"We kind of found something out…" Liz said. "And, er…"

"We…er…" James ran a hand through his hair. "We…"

"We found out Remus is a werewolf last month and we decided to show him we didn't care and when we told him just now he got scared and tried to run away and I tackled him and I think he thought I was trying to hurt him because he bit me to try and get away and please please please don't kick him out because it wasn't his fault but it's all my fault and he shouldn't get in trouble and I feel really bad and-" Madam Pomferey silenced Liz with a wave of her wand and turned to James, eyes wide.

"Is this true?" she demanded. James nodded.

"Remus won't get in trouble, will he?" he asked anxiously. "We really should have broken the news better…" James twisted his hands.

"Liz won't be a werewolf, will she?" Peter asked, his voice squeaking a bit on the word 'werewolf'. Madam Pomferey sighed.

"I'm not sure, but I find it doubtful. Mr. Lupin was not transformed when Miss Auberey was bitten, so…" the nurse shook her head. "If I might ask, how did you find out about Mr. Lupin's condition?"

"We just paid attention," Liz said, rubbing her wrist gingerly. Madam Pomferey smacked her hand away.

"If you mess with that, it'll never heal," she scolded, getting up and opening another cabinet. She handed a goblet of potion to Liz. "Drink that up, that should help with the pain. Unfortunately, I can't give you any more than that without risking an overdose." Liz made a face at the potion, but gulped it down, holding the goblet in her left hand instead of her right. When she was done, Madam Pomferey took the goblet back, then went over to the fireplace in her office and threw a handful of floo powder in. Flames sprung up immediately, crackling merrily. "Minerva!" she said. "Are you alone?"

"Yes, Poppy, what is it?" Professor McGonagall's voice answered.

"I need you to find Mr. Lupin and bring him to the Headmaster's office, then contact his and Miss Auberey's parents. She's been bitten, Minerva."

"It wasn't his fault!" Liz cried, running over to the fire. "Please, Professor, don't throw him out! It doesn't actually hurt, much."

"Miss Auberey?" McGonagall said, sounding surprised. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, and Peter and I are here too," James said, joining her at the fireplace. "Sirius went looking for Remus, he's really upset- Remus, I mean, not Sirius, though we're all worried about Liz-"

"I understand, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said. "I'm assuming all five of you were present when this happened?"

"Yeah," James said. "Professor-"

"All of you will need to come to Professor Dumbledore's office with me," Professor McGonagall said. "I will see you there." The flames died down and vanished.

"Do you know where the Headmaster's office is?" Madam Pomferey asked. They shook their heads. James was horrified when he realized- they were the greatest pranksters in the whole school and had yet to be sent to Dumbledore's office for doing something bad! That would not do. That would not do at all.

Madam Pomferey told them how to get there, and the password, which was Sugar Quill, for some bizarre reason, then sent them off. As they left the office, she made another floo call, this time to Professor Slughorn. She shut and locked the door behind them with her wand.

"how does your wrist feel, Eb?" James asked as they set off in search of the ugly gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

Liz rubbed it. her blood was already starting to stain the pristine whiteness of the bandages. "It still feels like it's on fire, but I can deal with it now."

"You were acting odd when you first got bi-hurt," James said worriedly, changing his choice of words as they passed a group of Hufflepuffs going in the opposite direction. "Like a wild animal or something." It had deeply disturbed him, the way she had growled at him when he first tried to help her, like a- like a wolf. Liz shrugged, looking nervous.

"I don't know what was going on, I wasn't myself for a few seconds… It was scary," she said, shuddering. "I can't imagine what it would have been like for Remus…"

"I wonder how he's doing right now?" Peter asked.

"Oh, does that mean you're done hating him now?" Liz asked nastily. Peter frowned at her. "Or have you decided to change your opinion because I might not be fully human now?"

"I don't know," Peter sighed. "But isn't it enough that my opinion's changed?" Liz frowned at him, opening her mouth, but James interrupted her, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Ebony…?" he said nervously, not entirely sure of what he'd seen.

"What?" she asked, looking at him. James took a step back.

"Your eyes-" he said, stunned. "They're yellow."

* * *

Professor McGonagall took Remus and Sirius to Professor Dumbledore's office. Remus sat in the chair she'd conjured, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. _This is it_, he thought morosely. He was going to be expelled for sure. He groaned and put his head in his hands.

Sirius patted him comfortingly on the back. "It'll be fine," he whispered. "You'll see." Remus just shook his head.

There was a knock on the door and Professor McGonagall, who'd been busy writing a letter, opened it to reveal James, Peter… and Liz.

"Remus!" Liz yelled, running across the room and throwing her arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have tackled you, it's all my fault we're in trouble!"

Remus was stunned. Here he was, ready to be expelled for biting her, and Liz was the one apologizing to _him_? It didn't add up.

"You're…not mad?" he stammered. She pulled back a bit, not completely letting go, and stared at him incredulously. Remus realized with a jolt that her eyes- normally a pretty hazel color- had turned yellow like his did for a few days after the full moon. That did not bode well.

"I'm mad that you didn't tell us sooner," Liz said quietly, "And I'm mad that you thought we'd be mad at you, but I'm not mad that you're a werewolf, and I'm not mad about this." She held her wrist out to show it had been bandaged up. "Madam Pomferey is getting Professor Slughorn to make something for it now, I think." Her mouth quirked up in a small smile. "Although it does hurt pretty badly."

"That's not what you said earlier," James muttered.

Liz looked over her shoulder at him. "Shut up."

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Miss Auberey, if you would be so kind to release Mr. Lupin…" Remus's face heated up when he realized Liz was still holding on to him. She blushed and quickly let go, sitting in one of the chairs Professor McGonagall had conjured for the newcomers.

"You alright, Moony?" James asked, sitting on Liz's other side and leaning around her to look at him. Peter sat on the far end, perched unsteadily on his seat.

"As of right now?" Remus asked, smiling feebly. "Fine."

Professor McGonagall finished with her letters and stood. "I need to send these to Mr. Lupin's and Miss Auberey's parents. You are to stay here; Professor Dumbledore will be along shortly."

The Marauders looked at one another.

"Well," Sirius said, trying to ease the tension, "You certainly can't say that today hasn't been interesting."

"Not now, Sirius," James said.

Liz sighed and stuck her feet out in front of her, rubbing her wrist. Despite her reassurances that she was fine, Remus still felt another flash of guilt as he watched her. She caught his eye and smiled weakly. "I'm _fine_," she insisted.

They sat in silence for a moment, broken only by the sounds of breathing and people shifting their weight. James coughed.

"Remus, I'm sorry. We all are. We really should have thought that out better."

Remus sighed. "I'm sorry for lying to you guys-"

"Remus, do everybody a favor and stop feeling sorry for yourself," James said. "I mean, you had a right to not tell us, but after Christmas, I would've thought you'd realize you could trust us."

"I'm so-"

"Shut up!" everyone yelled. Remus did, shrinking into his seat as best he could.

Sirius rolled his yes. "I think the S-word has been used way too much today, don't you?" he said.

They laughed. It sounded a bit strained; though, in light of recent events, that was only to be expected.

"It is good to hear you laughing again," a voice said from behind them. Peter gave a squeak and toppled off his chair as the rest of them twisted around to see Professor Dumbledore smiling at them. Madam Pomferey was hurrying up the stairs behind him, holding a jar filled with a nasty greenish ointment. She caught sight of Remus and she smiled kindly at him. Remus sighed.

* * *

Liz held her arm out as Madam Pomferey unwrapped it carefully, cleaned away the blood and began to rub the ointment on her wrist. Liz caught a whiff of the stuff and swooned. Remus didn't look much better, swaying in his seat. Sirius had to hold him up to keep him from falling on the floor. When Madam Pomferey was done, she cleaned the poultice out and rewrapped Liz's wound. She shook her head to clear it. Surprisingly, her wrist felt much better.

"What was that stuff?" she asked. She still felt a bit drowsy.

"What happened?" James asked, looking from Liz to Remus to Madam Pomferey. "Why did they get all weird all of a sudden?"

The nurse stowed the jar in her apron pocket. "Professor Slughorn made it just now. It's concentrate of wolfsbane, it helps clean out werewolf bites."

"But I thought wolfsbane didn't affect werewolves," Peter said uncertainly.

"Not normally, no," Remus said. his head was in his hands and he looked ill. "But when it's processed in the right way, it has a sedating effect on them… on us."

"Mr. Lupin, I believe I have made it quite clear that you are not to talk about yourself that way," Madam Pomferey scolded.

"Sorry," Remus murmured.

"Not that word again!" Sirius complained. Liz snorted, drawing an odd look from Madam Pomferey.

"Poppy, you may leave," Dumbledore said gently. The nurse nodded and left. The Headmaster sat down behind his desk and placed his fingertips together, studying them. Liz shuffled her feet and fought the urge to sit up straighter.

After what felt like ages, Professor Dumbledore spoke. "Before we can make any decisions, I need to know what happened when Miss Auberey was bitten."

The Marauders burst into chatter, speaking over one another in their rush to get the story out. Remus remained silent the whole time, staring at his feet. Liz had no idea how Dumbledore was able to comprehend the barrage of information, but not once did he ask them to repeat themselves.

When they were finished, they sat in awkward silence, nervously awaiting judgement. Professor Dumbledore nodded to himself, then said, "Would Misters Black, Potter and Pettigrew go back to their dormitory? I need to speak with Miss Auberey, Mr. Lupin and their parents alone."

Remus choked. "What? Dad's coming here?" Liz frowned. She had gotten the sense, so many months ago back in Diagon Alley, that Remus' father didn't care for him much. She wondered what Remus' life was like at home, then reminded herself that it wasn't any of her business.

"Your mother and father are both here already, Mr. Lupin," Professor Dumbledore said gently, "As are your parents, Miss Auberey. They are waiting in Professor McGonagall's office right now, in fact. Flooing did not seem to agree with Mr. Auberey, so we may be waiting for a few minutes." Somebody knocked on the door. "It appears that I was wrong." Dumbledore raised his voice slightly. "You may enter." He nodded to James, Sirius and Peter, who got up reluctantly and left. Liz was willing to bet anything that they old wait outside the door and listen to everything they said.

Liz's mother came in first. "Elizabeth! Sweetie, are you aright?" she gripped her daughter's face between her hands, studying her. "Oh, my goodness! Your eyes!"

Liz squirmed out of her grip. "Mum! I'm fine!" Mrs. Auberey let go and took Liz's arm gently. She laid a gentle hand on the bandages, frowning.

Meanwhile, Remus was busy being smothered by his own mother, his father scowling at him. Liz looked at Remus sadly over her father's shoulder. He gave her a small shrug as though to say he was used to it.

Mrs. Auberey let go of Liz and glared at Remus. "How dare you do this to my daughter," she said coldly. "You don't belong in a school."

Mrs. Lupin pushed Remus behind her. "Don't you dare talk about my son this way," she snapped. "Remus would never hurt anybody on purpose!"

"He's a werewolf!" Mrs. Auberey cried. "What were you thinking, Dumbledore? Letting it in a school- Elizabeth Grace Auberey, you get away from that thing _right now!_"

Liz had broken away from her parents and run over to Remus, taking his hand, placing herself between him and her mother. Mrs. Lupin's eyes widened in surprise.

"Elizabeth!" Mrs. Auberey commanded. "You are in big trouble, young lady!"

"Elizabeth, listen to your mother," Mr. Auberey said.

Liz was furious. She knew her father didn't know much about the magical world, he preferred to stay within Muggle boundaries, with things he could understand. She was willing to bet that when they'd gotten McGonagall's letter, her mother had told him all the prejudiced notions about werewolves, and she wasn't going to stand for it.

"No," she said loudly. "Remus is my best friend, mum, it was an accident, he didn't mean to bite me-"

"You can never be certain," Mrs. Auberey said darkly.

"Say that again?" Mrs. Lupin snarled, drawing her wand. Mrs. Auberey did as well.

There was a **BANG** like a canon blast, accompanied by a load of purple smoke. The mothers lowered their wands and turned to face Dumbledore. He did not look happy.

"That's quite enough of that," he said calmly. His blue eyes, however, were blazing with anger. "Mrs. Auberey, I must ask you to refrain from making unjust accusations. I want you both to put away your wands and sit down so that we may discuss this in a civil manner."

Mrs. Auberey and Mrs. Lupin glowered at each other, but complied and sat down on opposite ends of the chairs (Dumbledore had to conjure an extra one). The fathers sat next to their wives, with Remus and Liz in the middle. The whole time, she did not let go of his hand. Liz sat, angled on her chair in such a way that she didn't have to look at her mother. Remus looked at Liz, then glanced at her mother. She made a face at him and his lip twitched. They were unaware that this exchange was noted by an amused Dumbledore.

"Now then, Miss Auberey, would you like to tell us again what happened?"

As Liz relayed her tale, starting from when she and her friends discovered Remus was a werewolf, she watched her mother out of the corner of her eye for her reaction. When Liz told how miserable she and her friends were without Remus, her mother's expression softened slightly; but when she mentioned how she'd chased Remus and knocked him to the ground in a attempt to keep him from running, her face tightened. Liz ended with their trip to the Hospital Wing and their being led to Dumbledore's office.

"And here we are now," she concluded lamely. Her hand, still clutching Remus', was sweaty and gross. She hoped he didn't mind.

"So what you're saying is the werewolf did mean to bite you?" Mrs. Auberey said. Liz's temper flared.

"No, mum!" she yelled, jumping up. "I mean, he did, but he was just trying to get away! He thought I was trying to hurt him! It's not his fault anything happened, it's mine for running after him in the first place!" Her mother drew breath, probably to reprimand her, but Liz plowed on recklessly. "What if it was me, mum? What if I was the one who was a werewolf, who'd bitten Remus? Would you hate me then? Would you call me 'the werewolf'? Would you call me a monster?"

Mrs. Auberey looked shocked. "I- no, of course not, but-"

"BUT WHAT?" Liz bellowed. "REMUS- IS- A- HUMAN- BEING-TOO!" Liz thought her throat might have split from the force of her screams. She was mad, madder than she thought she could ever get, and to be honest, it scared her. She didn't want to fight with her mother, but Remus didn't deserve to be treated like that at all. Liz was so confused. She felt guilty for screaming like that, while at the same time, wanted to keep yelling herself hoarse. She settled for crossing her arms and glaring defiantly at her parents.

There was a ringing silence in the office. Liz's face was red and she felt hot and angry. Remus was staring at her, his mouth hanging open slightly. Mr. Auberey frowned at her, giving her a look that said he did _not_ approve of her . Auberey's face was hard.

"You do not talk to me like that, young lady," she said, her voice dangerously low. Liz knew, from the two times she'd gotten into huge trouble (once because she stole her mother's wand and blew up the garden shed, once because she'd hit her brother on the head with a toy sword), that this was her mother's 'you are in for a spanking' voice.

Liz dropped her arms to her sides but didn't lose the glare. "Sorry," she said in a voice that clearly stated she wasn't.

"Miss Auberey, I must ask you to sit down," Dumbledore said. Slowly, without looking away, Liz sat back down.

"Eb," Remus said quietly, "I don't want to come between you and your family." He looked at Dumbledore. "With all due respect, sir, I'll just go get my stuff and leave. I'm already packed." Liz wanted to scream at Remus, too. "Than you for inviting me, sir. It was a good year." He stood.

"Remus," Liz said, "Don't do this!"

"Your mum doesn't want me here, Eb," he said bitterly. "And I know other parents would feel the same. It would be better for everyone if I were to just leave."

Liz jumped up and hugged him tightly, not caring that their parents were watching. "I don't want you to go," she said. She was crying, the tears falling freely, but she made no move to wipe them away. "What if I never see you again?"

"I'm sure we can keep in touch through letters," Remus said, his voice tight. "All of us."

"It wouldn't be the same, though," she whispered. "Please, don't leave…"

Remus pulled away, his hand touching her wrist lightly. "I don't want to hurt anyone else," he murmured.

"Elizabeth?" Liz turned to look at her mother. "Could we talk to you for a minute?"

Professor Dumbledore indicated the stairs. "You could use the stairs," he said in a carrying voice, and Liz heard footsteps scuttling away as he spoke. Despite the seriousness of the situation, she had a sudden urge to burst out laughing. "Take all the time you need."

Liz followed her parents out into the stairway. "What do you want?" she asked bitterly. "Haven't you ruined enough already?"

"Elizabeth, do not use that tone of voice with me," her mother said disapprovingly, frowning at her. "If you would be quiet, maybe I could explain some things to you." Liz shut her mouth angrily. "Sit down," her mother said, indicating the steps. Liz plopped down and folded her arms.

"Lose the attitude, missy," her father said. Liz forced her face to relax and adopted a look Sirius had shown her- the 'I have no idea what you're talking about, so how do you explain that I did it?' look.

"What do you want?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice free of emotion.

Mrs. Auberey sat down on the step below Liz and sighed. She tugged on the sleeves of her coat, not knowing where to start. "Before I can say anything, I want you to agree to listen to me without interrupting," she said. Liz nodded, now utterly bewildered. "When I found out I was a witch, I didn't know anything about the magical world, other than what my parents taught me. They kept my knowledge to a minimum, because they thought I'd turn out to be a Squib, like my father, and his father, and his mother."

"What does this have to do with-" Liz began, but stopped at the look on her mother's face. "Sorry."

"By the time I was born, our side of the family had mostly forgotten the magical ways, aside from the bare minimum. So, I had to rely on books, and my peers, for much of my information. As a result, I guess you could say I learned from example."

For the first time, Liz felt a small glimmer of understanding. "You mean, you learned to hate werewolves?" she asked.

Her mother shrugged. "It's just- I thought that- well-" she tugged on her coat sleeves again. "It goes against everything I was taught, but… I can see you care for that wer- that boy-" Liz's eyebrows shot up. "And after he volunteered to leave, I suppose- well, and I saw how upset you would have been-"

"Mum?" Liz couldn't believe her ears. "Are you saying you don't mind Remus staying?"

Mrs. Auberey coughed. "I- well, I still don't like it, but Professor Dumbledore seems to believe there's no reason for him not to, and he's usually right."

"Dad?" Liz said, looking at her father, "You don't mind, either?"

Mr. Auberey shrugged. "He seems like a good boy," he said. "And the two of you are certainly close. But, I would appreciate it if you would wait a few more years- you're still too young to have a boyfriend."

"Dad!" Liz's face was burning. "We're just friends!"

Her parents exchanged conspiratorial looks. "Whatever you say, Elizabeth," her mother said, shaking her head. "I can't say I approve, but… I suppose it's not my place to judge." She said this last part with a look on her face that suggested she'd swallowed a lemon.

Liz grinned so much she felt her cheeks start to cramp, then remembered what had happened in the office and adopted a more gloomy look. "I'm sorry I yelled at you," she said, picking at her fingernails. Her mother pulled her into a hug.

"I accept your apology," she said. "Try not to let it happen again." She stood up and took Liz's hand. "If you don't mind me asking- why does the w- Remus- keep calling you Eb?"

Liz laughed. "It's short for Ebony," she said. "Remus is Moony, but we haven't figured out names for the other guys."

Mr. Auberey shook his head fondly. "You kids and your crazy nicknames," he said. "Shall we go back in?"

Liz turned and opened the door. "Remus!" she yelled happily. "Mum says you can stay! You don't have to go!" She held her arms out, and this time, Remus didn't wait. He hugged her back, both children grinning like idiots. Mrs. Lupin smiled at Liz over her son's shoulder.

"I'm glad you were able to work things out," Dumbledore said, beaming at the young Gryffindors. "You may leave through the fireplace in Professor McGonagall's office. And Remus?"

"Yes?" Remus asked, letting go of Liz.

"I trust you will be coming back next year?"

Remus' face broke into a broad smile. "Definitely, sir!"

Dumbledore chuckled. "You may accompany your family to Minerva's office," he said. "I hope you do well on your exams."

"Which reminds me," Mrs. Auberey said, frowning at Liz, "We need to have a talk about your Charms grade, young lady."

"Mum!" Liz protested.

As they reached the door to Professor McGonagall's office, Mrs. Auberey kissed Liz on the forehead and left. Liz frowned when Mr. Lupin left without bothering to say good-bye to his son. Mrs. Lupin put her hand on Liz's shoulder. "May I have a word?" she asked. Liz was startled by her request, but nodded.

"Uh, sure?" Liz noticed out of the corner of her eye that her father had pulled Remus aside.

"Elizabeth, I just want to thank you for being such a good friend to Remus, even after you found out about his…"

"His furry little problem?" Liz suggested. Mrs. Lupin laughed.

"Exactly. He was worried he wouldn't make friends here, and his letters home have been so cheerful, thanks to you and those boys you hang out with… the ones I assume were hiding on the stairs?"

Liz snorted. "You got that right."

"I wanted to say thank you to all of them, but can I trust you to pass on the message?"

"Of course, Mrs. Lupin," Liz said, surprised by her request.

Mrs. Lupin smiled kindly at her. "Please, call me Caitlin. Or Ms. Caitlin, if you prefer."

"All right… Ms. Caitlin," Liz said. "I guess I'll see you."

"It was a pleasure meeting you," Ms. Caitlin said, then went over to her son, hugged him, and headed into Professor McGonagall's office to go home.

Liz's father came back from his talk with Remus and hugged his daughter. "Love you, hon," he said.

"Love you, dad," she said.

"Remember what I said," Mr. Auberey said to Remus, then left as well.

* * *

"Remus?" Liz's father asked. "I'd like to talk to you for a moment."

"Er, all right." Remus allowed himself to be led a short distance away. Mr. Auberey stopped and examined him. Remus shifted uncomfortably.

"I've noticed that you and Elizabeth are rather close to one another," he began. Remus felt his face grow red.

"We're just friends!" he protested.

"Maybe now, but when Lauren gave in and agreed to let you stay, Lizzie's face lit up like the sun. She's fond of you, and I'm going to say it now- don't do anything to hurt her."

"I'm sorry about her wrist," Remus said, wincing.

"That's not exactly what I'm talking about, but yes, that kind of hurt, too." Mr. Auberey gave Remus a piercing look. Remus flushed when he realized what Liz's father was talking about.

"Of course not, sir," he said hurriedly.

Remus' mother came over to hug him good-bye. "Take care of Elizabeth," she said, smiling. "I think she's a keeper."

"Mum!" Remus protested as the adults laughed. "Why does everyone assume- ugh!"

"Work hard, sweetie," she said, then left to go home. After Mr. Auberey bid his daughter farewell, he turned to Remus.

"Remember what I said," he said sternly, then disappeared into the office as well.

Liz looked curiously at Remus. "What did dad want?"

Remus blushed furiously. "Er, not much," he said. He was saved from having to elaborate when Professor McGonagall came out of her office.

"Miss Auberey, you need to go to the Hospital Wing to have that wrist looked at," she said. "Mr. Lupin, it would probably be a good idea if you went with her."

"Bye, Professor," they said together.

After Madam Pomferey changed Liz's bandages and ordered her to come back again the next day to have her bite looked at, the two headed back to the Gryffindor common room. The rest of the Marauders weren't there, but Liz suggested they look in the dorms.

When they pushed the door open, James, Sirius and Peter jumped on them. "Are you guys alright? What happened? You aren't expelled, are you?"

"Remus can stay!" Liz announced, and the others cheered with her. They all tackled Remus in a group hug and they fell to the floor in a tangled dog pile.

"What made your mum change her mind?" James asked Liz. She shrugged, her face suddenly red. "She just realized how upset we would be if Remus had to leave, and she said that even though she doesn't like it very much, she trusts Dumbledore."

"Who cares?" Sirius said. "Moony doesn't have to leave!"

"Party in the kitchens?" Peter suggested. James and Sirius jumped up at once.

"That's a brilliant idea, Pete," Liz said, punching the plump boy lightly on the shoulder. Remus noticed she used her left hand instead of her right and winced. She'd have that scar as a permanent reminder that she wasn't normal anymore. An outcast. A freak. Like him.

Liz glanced at him as though reading his mind. "Remus," she said quietly as they headed for the portrait hole, "I don't want you beating yourself up about this. Anyone would have done the same thing in your place. Before you say anything different, I'll tell you this now- you say one word about how horrible you are, and I'll hex your mouth shut."

Remus couldn't help it. He laughed. "You know, Sirius said the same thing to me earlier, practically."

"Wow, Sirius Black actually smarter than Remus Lupin about something? Who could have guessed?" Liz said. Remus rolled his eyes.

After a pause, Liz said, "No more secrets from each other?"

Remus nodded. "No more secrets," he said. This time, it was he who held out his pinkie. "Promise?"

Liz locked her finger with his. "Promise," she said. "And this time, for good."

* * *

**A/N: I need to get back to my cousin, so I'll keep this short- REVIEW!**

**I'll reply to anonymous reviews next chapter- my apologies...**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**


	19. One Down, Six to Go

**A/N: OH MY GAWD! 113 REVIEWS! *does a happy dance after running screaming like an idiot around the house* I LOVE YOU GUYS! But keep the reviews coming- I respond to all of them and cherish each and every last one like a treasure. :3**

**I am really really sorry about the long wait between this chapter and 18, but like I said, I was in Texas visiting family. They all say hi again, by the way. We went back on the road again this morning to visit some friends in Dallas, then we'll be off to a tiny little town in Florida to visit some more family. That's another 14-hour drive, so you can expect the next (AND LAST!) chapter up in a few days.**

***does another happy dance* I still can't believe I got over a hundred reviews! I only started this about two months ago! First fanfic ever, too! I've even gotten a request to use Ebony in another story! Epic!**

**This chappie is dedicated to Lauern, Zada, and Auntie Gina for all reading and loving my story. This one's for you, guys!**

**Also dedicated to SonyaWho, because they were my 100th reviewer! Hugs, cookies and a lifetime's supply of Honeyduke's candy!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned it, you'd be reading this out of a real book and not your computer or phone, and I would be rolling in cash. Nice thought, but no.**

* * *

Study, study, study, that was all Liz ever seemed to do these days. Even James and Sirius had felt the need to crack open a book or two, and they _never_ studied. Peter joked that it meant the end of the world was upon them. Liz had to agree.

Exams would be starting the next day. A week of tests, then several days off while the teachers graded, then they would be free.

Liz's wrist was still healing, but Madam Pomferey said it shouldn't take much longer before Liz would be able to take the bandages off. To her relief, her eyes faded back to normal the next day, as did Remus', so she didn't have to worry about going around Hogwarts with yellow eyes. That would have been just weird.

In addition to her eyes, Liz had acquired a taste for rare steaks, something the others found extremely funny since it was always she who would get into the arguments with Remus about how to properly cook a slab of meat. As for any other traits, she'd just have to wait until the full moon at the end of June before they revealed themselves.

The Marauders had other priorities besides studying, however. They were also plotting the end-of-term prank and the subsequent reveal of their identities to the entire school. True to her deal, Lily hadn't breathed a word about it, though she would often give them the stink-eye as she passed their customary spot by the fire in the Gryffindor common room.

Peter had wanted to do something involving Stinksap, insisting it was a classic pranking material, but James, Sirius and Liz shot him down, since Stinksap was overrated and they wouldn't have anywhere to put it anyway.

In the end, it was Remus and James who came up with the prank, but in order to pull it off, they needed to steal some ingredients from the potions cupboard and some herbs from the greenhouses (they stayed well away from greenhouse six this time). Sirius was selected to brew the actual potion, since James, Liz and Peter were about average and Remus was simply dreadful at it.

The night before exams started were stressful, to say the least. Remus was frantically going over his potions notes, Peter over his Transfiguration textbook, and Liz was busy trying to get her sixth pineapple stolen from the kitchens tap-dance across the table, something James and Sirius found very annoying as they poured over their History of Magic textbooks.

"I got it! I got it!" Liz yelled as her fruit sprouted legs and tippidy-tapped its way across the table before exploding, just like the other five. "NO!"

"Can't you practice somewhere else?" James demanded, reaching for his wand to clean himself up. "Scourgify." The pineapple chunks vanished. Liz set her wand down and lay her head on her hands.

"No, that was my last one. I hope it'll be good enough, because I'm too tired to go down to the kitchens and get another," she said dejectedly. "Hey Pete? You want some help with that?"

"Yes, please," Peter held his book out.

"All right. What is the proper wand movement and incantation to transform a goblet into a mug, and how has it been proven to work?"

They stayed up until midnight, when Remus insisted they go to bed so they wouldn't be exhausted for their finals the next day.

The exams seemed to take forever to complete. The practicals themselves weren't too bad (Liz even managed to get her pineapple all the way across the desk before it exploded, so hopefully she'd scored an 'Acceptable') but the real torture was the written part of the exams, dealing with the theory behind the magic. Liz could never wrap her head around the concept- all she knew was that it worked, so why did it matter as to how? Remus annoyed her whenever he'd give her a lecture on how it you need to know the theory in order to create new spells- she wasn't planning on ever creating her own spells, so why did she have to learn it? But she memorized the textbook answers as best as she could and prayed it would be enough.

Liz excelled in the Defense Against the Dark Arts practical without having to study at all, something that delighted her to no end. James and Sirius didn't even bother with Transfiguration- they passed their practicals with almost infuriating ease. Remus, who seemed to have memorized his History of Magic textbook, ended up being the only one in their year not in Ravenclaw who passed that particular exam.

Peter didn't do too poorly in Charms, but the rest of his grades remained to be seen. Everything was going well until their last exam of the day, their written Defense test. Liz was able to answer most of the questions with no problem, but there were several that stumped her, and she sat, scratching her chin with her quill, as she thought how to best answer. While she was thinking, however, Remus' hand was flying across the parchment at a speed to rival that of Snivellus' and he ended up being the first one done.

When Liz looked back on it in the years to come, it was actually a good thing it happened, though it was not so wonderful at the time. The memory still brought tears of anger to her eyes.

Remus finished in record time and stood up, bringing his papers to Professor Dranseau. The teacher looked up at him, his lip curling with distaste.

"Finished so soon, are you?" he asked.

"Yes sir," Remus said quietly. No matter how awful Dranseau was to him, Remus would always speak calmly, and address him as 'sir', something that only seemed to make Dranseau madder. Liz swore up and down it was because he was dying to have an 'excuse' to hit Remus again, and the others couldn't argue with her. Now that they knew the reason the Defense teacher hated Remus so much was because of his prejudice against werewolves, they had been planning to do something 'special' to him, but they never got the chance.

"Might I ask just how you finished so fast?" Dranseau asked. He pointed to an hourglass set on his desk. A little less than half the sand was left.

Remus hesitated. "Sir?" he asked uncertainly.

"Not even Miss Auberey is finished with her test, and she is the best in this class, is she not?" Dranseau said. Liz frowned, feeling the need to speak up.

"Well, Professor, magical theory has never been my best-"

"I did not ask you to speak," Dranseau snapped. "Ten points from Gryffindor for disrupting exams."

"But-"

"Continue to do so and I will make it fifty," he said cooly. Liz bit back the furious reply she wanted to use and contented herself with stabbing her quill viciously at her parchment.

"Sir," Remus said, either not noticing or ignoring the Marauders' waving hands, warning him not to go any farther. "With all due respect, you're disrupting class more than Liz is."

The room went so silent you could hear a pin drop. Even Snape had stopped writing, a smirk on his face as he watched the show.

Dranseau stood and came around his desk, every eye in the room following him.

"Do you presume to call me a hypocrite?" he said, advancing on Remus. "Thought it would be funny, did you?"

"No, sir," Remus said. "I just want to turn my test in."

Liz got a very bad taste in her mouth. Something was going to happen, she knew it. She looked over at James and caught his eye. Her friend looked like he might be sick. He grimaced and tilted his head in their friend's direction, worry written all over his face.

"But I do not let you turn your test in unless you have completed it as best you can," Dranseau said in response to Remus' statement. "And I do not believe your test is worthy of being turned in." Liz balled her fists, snapping her quill in half, her nails digging into her palms. _That prejudiced, low-life, foul, evil-_

"Sir," Remus said deliberately, "How can you know how good the test is until you've graded it?"

What happened next was so fast Liz didn't see it, but the next thing she knew, Remus was on the ground, one of Dranseau's hands around his neck, the other smashing into Remus' face.

Liz jumped up so fast she upset her desk, sending her things flying. James threw himself out of his seat and wrapped both arms around Dranseau's neck, choking him.

"Somebody get a teacher!" Liz screamed. She pulled her wand out of her bag and pointed it at the madman in the front, but realized she couldn't use it without fear of hitting her friends. She threw it aside as she and Sirius lunged for Dranseau.

Students were screaming, not knowing what to do. Liz thought she saw a flash of red out of the corner of her eye as Lily raced from the room.

She grabbed hold of Dranseau's wrist and sank her teeth into it. He yelled, flinging his arm out and sending her flying across the room, cracking her skull on the floor. She rolled to her feet, her head pounding, as Sirius delivered a vicious kick at Dranseau's shins.

"LET HIM GO!" James roared, tightening his grip. Dranseau choked, but wouldn't let up-

Liz threw herself back into the fray, trying to pull his hand off Remus' neck, but she couldn't. She felt her wrist tear open again as one of the teacher's fists connected with it and she screamed.

Sirius grabbed the hourglass off the desk and swung it at Dranseau's face. It shattered, sending sand and glass shards flying. The man's face was bleeding, cut in a hundred places, but he wouldn't let up.

"YOU SON OF A-" Liz screamed, but the man was totally insane. Something had always been a little loose on the inside and today it had snapped, sending him into a rage, no longer trying to taunt, or to cue pain, but to kill-

* * *

Lily flew from the room, terrified out of her wits. She had never thought a teacher would behave like that, but apparently, she was wrong. She raced trough the corridors, yelling at the top of her lungs for somebody, anybody-

"Miss Evans!" Professor McGonagall said. "What on earth-?"

"Professor, you have to come quick!" Lily yelled, grabbing the teacher's wrist and dragging her back the way she'd come. "It's Dranseau- he's gone insane- Remus- he's-"

Before Lily could say another word, McGonagall was racing in the direction of the Defense classroom, her wand already out. Lily sprinted after her, praying with all her might that she wasn't too late.

She and Professor McGonagall arrived just in time to see Sirius smash the hourglass into the mad teacher's face, but he seemed totally unaffected by the blow. Lily ducked as McGonagall raised her wand. With a blast like a canon, the four people were thrown away from each other, three of them caught by McGonagall's levitation charm. The fourth was allowed to hit the far wall with a crunch reminiscent of the time Liz had blown him into the same wall at the beginning of the year.

"Lily, I need you to get Remus down to the Hospital Wing as fast as you can," Professor McGonagall said. Lily nodded, too shocked by what just happened to realize she'd been addressed by her first name. She pulled her wand out and cast a levitation charm on Remus, floating him out on a cushion of air.

Lily stifled a sob when she saw Remus. He had been knocked unconscious by the terrible assault, or, at least, she hoped he was just unconscious. His face was almost unrecognizable underneath the bloody mass that covered it.

"Madam Pomferey!" Lily yelled when she reached the Hospital Wing. "Remus was attacked, he's badly hurt-"

The nurse ran out almost immediately and gasped when she saw the mangled boy. "Put him on the bed here," she ordered, pointing to the one closest to her office as she pulled her wand out. Lily set him down as carefully as she could, feeling helpless as she stood there and watched as Madam Pomferey began cleaning the blood off his face. "What happened?" she demanded.

"Professor Dranseau, he's had it in for Remus since the first day, he just went insane- Remus tried to turn his exam in and they had a bit of an argument and Dranseau just started hitting him- James and Sirius and Liz all jumped on him- Dranseau, I mean, not Remus- and I ran to find a teacher, and McGonagall came and blasted them apart and told me to bring him here." Lily danced on the spot as she watched Madam Pomferey clean him up so she could assess the damage. "He'll be alright, won't he?"

"He has a broken nose, as far as I can tell, and lots of bruises on his neck and face," the nurse said, "Nothing I can't deal with, but he's unconscious. If we're lucky, he'll just have a headache when he wakes up. If we aren't…"

Lily swallowed. "If we aren't…?" she echoed, scared to know the answer.

"Well, there are a multitude of possibilities. Concussion, coma, internal bleeding, d-" the nurse cut herself off as she became very focused on removing a black eye.

Lily's heart sank.

* * *

James lay panting on the floor, his lip split and bleeding. His hands and forearms were bleeding from hundreds of small slices, and Sirius' hands were shredded from where the hourglass had shattered. Liz had a lump the size of an egg on the back of her head and a slice on her cheek, also from the hourglass. She was favoring her bitten wrist again, which made James suspect it had opened up again.

After Professor McGonagall had ordered Lily to take Remus up to the Hospital Wing, she had let the levitation charm go and bound the unconscious Dranseau.

"All of you are to go straight back to your common rooms," McGonagall barked. The students had fled, lest they incur her wrath, and the remaining four Marauders found themselves going up to the Hospital Wing for the second time in a weeklong period.

"Mr. Pettigrew, I need you to go to Professor Dumbledore's office and tell him he needs to come to the Hospital Wing," she said. Peter nodded and hurried off.

"Mobilicorpus," McGonagall said, and Dranseau was lifted from the floor like some creepy marionette puppet. "Can you all walk?" se asked.

"Yeah," James said, climbing stiffly to his feet and touching his lip lightly. Sirius and Liz stood as well, nursing their wounds.

"I need you to tell me what happened," McGonagall said as they walked though the castle.

All three of them started talking at once, but apparently McGonagall didn't have Dumbledore's ability to comprehend three voices at once and held up her hand.

"One at a time," she ordered. James started talking first, since he was the leader. As he spoke, McGonagall's face grew tighter and more pinched.

"Poppy," she called as they went through the open doors of the Hospital Wing. "I have four more patients for you-" James, Sirius and Liz ran over to Remus' bed, where a distraught Lily was watching.

"Is he-?" Liz asked. Remus looked perfect, except for one thing- he wasn't moving, save for the faint rise and fall of his chest.

Lily shook her head. "Madam Pomferey cleaned him up and fixed his injuries, but he's unconscious. She doesn't want to use Ennervate to wake him up in case there's internal- internal damage-" she broke off and buried her face in James' chest, crying silently. James would have been pleased with this had the situation not been so serious.

Sirius stood, staring down at Remus, his face twisted with hatred- not for Remus, but for Dranseau. Liz dropped to her knees next to Remus and took his hand.

"Wake up, you have to wake up," she hissed. "Please, Remus, come back."

There were footsteps behind them and they looked up to see Professor Dumbledore striding in, Peter tagging behind him. James didn't listen as Professor McGonagall explained to the Headmaster what had happened.

Remus coughed suddenly, bringing everyone's attention to him. James felt a surge of relief at the sound. Remus would be alright! …Wouldn't he?

"Moony, come on, wake up," he muttered. "Come on…"

"Remmy," Sirius said. "Remmy!"

"Don' call me tha', Sir'us," Remus muttered. The Marauders let out whoops as his eyes fluttered. Even Lily cheered.

"Hush now," Madam Pomferey scolded. "He needs his rest!"

James opened his mouth to tell her to sod off, but decided it wouldn't be a great idea and quickly shut it.

Remus stirred and opened his eyes. "Wha'?" he mumbled.

Liz's smile was replaced with a scowl as she said, "It was Dranseau. You tried to turn your exam in-"

Remus winced and touched his nose gingerly. A shocked expression came over his face as he found it to be unbroken. "Yeah, I remember. But who are you?"

James felt the blood drain from his face. "Oh, no. Moony, please tell me you're joking!"

"Who's Moony?" Remus asked curiously. His lip twitched and James had to suppress the urge to smack him.

"Okay, that was not funny," he said flatly. Remus snickered.

"You should have seen your faces," he said. "You were like-"

"No, it wasn't funny," Sirius growled. "You, of all people, should know!"

Remus sighed. "So, I try to make a joke like you would and you scold me for it? Bloody hypocrite."

James flicked him lightly. "You could get away with it under different circumstances, but not- no. Just no."

"Sorry," Remus said, and he looked suitably chastened.

"So how do you feel?" Lily asked after Madam Pomferey had given him a potion of something smelly. Remus wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Like I was stampeded by a herd of Hippogriffs."

"Dranseau's gong to be kicked out now, though, there's no way Professor Dumbledore will let him stay- I mean, he should go to Azkaban for that, right?"

"Er-" Remus said. James got a nasty feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Of course he'll go to Azkaban, Evans," he said cheerily. "Maybe you should go to the common room and let everyone know that Remus is alright?" Lily gave him a suspicious look, but left. James breathed out a sigh of relief and turned to Remus. "Well?" he demanded.

Remus fidgeted, picking at the sheets. "I don't think Dranseau will even go on trial," he said quietly.

"Why not?" Liz demanded.

"The laws concerning beating- if you read the fine print, you'll see they apply only to human beings, and wizards at that."

"But you are human!" James said, his fists clenching. Remus smiled sadly.

"James, as far as most people are concerned, I haven't been a human since I was five years old."

James couldn't think of anything to say to that and fell silent. He couldn't imagine what Remus had to go through each month with the transformations, or even at home with his father. James loved both his parents, and didn't want to think about how different his life would be if his own father hated him.

He wished there was something they could do to help Remus, to keep him from practically killing himself each full moon. He refused to believe what the books said- there had to be a way. There just had to be.

After a few minutes, Professor McGonagall left to owl Remus' parents. Professor Dumbledore left with the still unconscious Dranseau, once Madam Pomferey hd checked him over and healed his smashed face. Then she got to work on the Marauders, fixing up Sirius' hands and Liz's face. James twitched when she started on his own hands, healing the cuts with a spell that left behind a peculiar itching sensation. He looked over his shoulder at Remus. "How do you stand it?" he asked, referring to the boy's frequent visits to the Hospital Wing.

Remus just looked at him. "It hurts more to just leave it," he said mildly. James winced.

"Oh, right… sorry."

"It's fine," Remus said, shrugging. James wondered how he could talk so calmly about his 'furry little problem'. Then he reminded himself that Remus was probably used to it.

_But he shouldn't be, _he thought angrily. _Poor guy's never had a chance to be a normal kid, no wonder he's so serious all the time…_

* * *

After another hour of begging and pleading, Madam Pomferey finally relented and let Remus go. He didn't know what had happened to Dranseau, nor did he care. All that mattered was that the man who'd made his first year at Hogwarts torture was gone! He was gone! Dumbledore would take care of everything, and Remus would maybe learn something in Defense class next year.

"Well, it's certainly been an interesting birthday so far," Peter said gloomily. Remus stopped dead in the center of the corridor. Liz bumped into him.

"Oh, Merlin! I totally forgot!" Remus cried. "I'm sorry, Pete!"

"It's alright," Peter said, smiling at him.

"Today's your birthday?" Liz asked, turning around. She clapped a hand to her forehead. "I can't believe I was so stupid! June second! That's today!"

"Happy Birthday?" James said, grinning sheepishly. "But, you do know what this means, don't you?"

"To the lake!" Sirius yelled. He seized Peter about the waist and threw him over his shoulder. James ran to hold open the doors as Sirius staggered under Peter's weight. Peter kicked and yelled, but Sirius just tightened his grip.

Remus made to follow after them, but Liz held him back. "Are you alright?" she asked, her eyes filled with worry. Remus shrugged.

"I've had worse," he said, trying to make light of the situation. Liz flinched. "Well, I have," he said defensively.

"I just worry about you," she said. "The way you're taking this so calmly, like teachers beat you on a regular basis? It's just not right."

"Look, I said I'm fine, so you can stop your fretting," Remus said. Liz didn't look like she was about to drop it, so Remus hurriedly added, "Can we go to the lake now? I need to do something normal."

She frowned at his attempt to distract her, but nodded. "Race you?" she asked.

"On three." Remus shifted his weight. "THREE!" he took off running.

"Not fair!" Liz wailed as she raced after him. Remus ran past James, Sirius and Peter, and across the grounds to their beech tree. His palm slammed onto the trunk a split second before Liz's. "You cheated!"

"You're faster than me," Remus panted. "I did what I had to."

"Prat."

"Prat times two."

"I know you are, but what am I?" Liz taunted. Remus raised an eyebrow.

"Is that really the best you can come up with?" he asked.

"Help!" Peter yelled as James and Sirius caught up to them.

"Okay," Liz said as she grabbed him by the ankles and helped Sirius fling him in the water. Peter landed with a splash that sent water flying up and drenching all of them. The rest of the Marauders jumped in after their friend and spent several minutes swimming, letting the cool waters of the lake wash the memory of the day away. Remus sighed happily as he tossed his waterlogged shoes back on the beach. Exams were over, he'd never have to see Dranseau again, the rest of the day was theirs to do with as they pleased, and this time in two days, he'd be on the Hogwarts express, going home. Things couldn't get much better.

"You guys will have to come stay at my house over the summer," James said as he resurfaced, lakeweed in his hair. "Eb, you could stay too, we've got tons of rooms, so you could just stay separate from us."

"Really?" Liz asked, wringing her hair out. "That's awesome! I'd offer the same, but we don't have enough room for four more boys…"

Sirius snorted. "We have plenty of room, but I don't think you'd be very welcome- heck, I'm not entirely sure I'll be welcomed back!" He grinned, but none of the others returned the smile. "Oh, lighten up, guys! You get used to it."

They were interrupted by shrieks and yells from across the lake. The Marauders all turned to watch as a group of third years taking their Care of Magical Creatures final scattered. Several blue shapes were darting through the air, grabbing books, bags and wands and wrecking havoc on the grounds as one-armed Professor Kettleburn attempted to round the things up. James sniggered.

"Cornish Pixies," he said. "They don't look like much, but they're pretty nasty if not handled properly. My guess is some git went and dropped the cage." He, Sirius and Liz laughed. James suddenly stopped, eyeing the cage with interest. "Ooh, yeah, I am liking this," he breathed. He turned to the others. "I want that cage."

"Don't tell me- end-of-year-prank replacement?" Sirius asked. James nodded.

"This is gonna be good," he said.

Remus groaned. "Oh, joy."

* * *

**A/N: So, yup, Dranseau's gone gone gone! Remus is FREEE! (Sorry, my cousins and I watched Lord of the Rings and I discovered I can do a scary accurate Gollum voice. I can't wait until the Hobbit comes out! *rambles for a bit about how they didn't put Tom Bombadil in the movies*) Anyway, sorry this was short, I just needed to get Dranseau out of Hogwarts- only one year for each DADA teacher, remember? I'm debating wether or not to make the next one a loon like Lockhart (Hey! Praise for alliteration!) because I need third year to be a good teacher because I have a scene already written during the lesson on werewolves :P Tell me what you think! Also, I kind of cheated in writing this by not having more detail on how Dumbledore dealt with Dranseau. *shrugs* I just couldn't think how that would work. Maybe they threw him in a moat.**

**The chapter title is because they have one DADA teacher gone, and six more to go before they're out of school :P**

**So, yup, only one more chapter dealing with the end-of-term prank and the train ride home, then I'll be ending part one! I'll say it again next chapter, but for all of you who are following this, I'll post a notice on the end of this story to let you know when part two is up!**

***Cracks knuckles* On to chapter 20! While I'm writing, want to make my day and review? Thanks, and remember, I respond to all of them! I love to hear your input! My plot bunnies need some love! (Not now, Bugs, I already gave you your carrots!)**

**In the meantime, there's a story by theblonde2246 that I'm proofreading! It's an Umbridge reads the books to Hogwarts to prove Harry's a liar story, and has an interesting plot going for it. Once you get to chapter two, that's when my editing comes in :) And thank you, theblonde2246, for your encouragement, and Lizaluvsdoggies for your help in plotting my spinoff for this series! Yes, you read that right- a spinoff in the Harry Potter era, based off of this series! It'll follow the books to a degree, but with a twist :) But don't look for it anytime soon, I still need to finish Ebony. *foofooman3 comes up to Dndchk, yells BOTHER and runs off* All righty, I'll let you go now, I need to go get the Stinksap… STUPID FAT HOBBIT!**

**Until next time,**

**-Dndchk**

* * *

**Anonymous Reviewers: I'm sorry for the wait!**

JoeSax: I told you ebony gets bitten- HA. You will accept defeat. I brainstormed reason for ebonys disappearance in the timeline. I came up with...  
Big history complicated time travel thing  
She does something too bad to be mentioned/betrayal  
Dies in 1st year, because there is nothing about the marauders 1st year at all.

Do I get direct supply from honeydukes or via muggle post?

**I never said she didn't get bitten :) Just go to Honeydukes and give them my name- they'll know what to do!**

* * *

And here we see the example of not allowing people to think their own thoughts. I would have thought that, living in the muggle world, Mrs. Aubrey would be slightly immune to it, but it appears that I was wrong. At least Remus's friends - minus Peter a bit - are not like that. And even then, Peter was able to get over it rather quickly.

I have the feeling that this fic is pretty much close to the end, probably only a chapter or two left? I have to admit, I'll definitely be sad to see it end, and I will be eagerly waiting for the next part of the series.

And sorry for the shortness of the review, I'm not feeling to well, and only reason why I'm even on is to work on the next chapter of Book III. I'm hoping to have it up by Thursday.

**Hearts in Strangeness, is that you? Anyway, I kinda figured Peter woud be the hesitant one... And yup, only one more chapter left, but I will be able to start on part two almost immediately!**

**Ah, length doesn't matter, I'd be ecstatic if it was just a happy face :)**

* * *

that was absolutely amazing! the part that i most enjoyed was when Liz defended Remus in Dumbledore's office when her mom was insulting him. that was so nice. what year are they going to become animagi? so excited! this is my favorite story EVER!

**That was my favorite part too- I was choking up, the whole chapter was very emotional, to me. They'll start learning second year, and manage it early in fifth.**

* * *

I started this fanfic yesterday, and I have been completely obsessed with it, it is AWESOME! I love the prank ideas (especially the Halloween one) and I don't think Elizabeth is a Mary- Sue character :)  
Siriusly (sorry, I couldn't resist), it is the best Marauder fanfiction I have read, so please update soon :D

**I liked the Halloween prank, too! Hehe- exploding pumpkins... I'm so happy so many people like it, and again, apologize for the lag. I was busy. *shrugs***

* * *

Oh, my god! I can't believe you got 100 reviews! This story is so amazing and deserves about 1000 more.

**Aww, thanks!**

* * *

**MoonyLover:** I'm in love with many things, but this story is 'Top 5' material. Update soon or I might just send my four year old brother to talk your ears—or maybe even your head—off. And then, in his creepy voice he'll say,"We'll be together forever," and act like a deranged zombie person. He actually does this stuff!  
P.S. UPDATE OR ELSE!  
P.P.S. You are portraying Remus amazingly.

**Oh, yeah? MY brother does this terrifying rabid squirrel face that would scare off a zombie any day! But thanks for loving this so much! And here's the update! NO ZOMBIES!**

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this was an amazing chapter, and i can't wait for the next one!

**Here you go!**

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**And for CousinZada- I miss you too, kiddo. Thanks for reading this- did you notice the dedication at the top? (I'll have to think about those prank ideas...)**


	20. Pixies and Lions and Parents, Oh My

**A/N: So, yeah! Last chapter of Ebony: Part One! This story's come so far- to think it started off as a random fun project in biology to alleviate boredom and is now a completed story on FFN? Just wow. (If my teachers ever tell me to write a short story, I am so turning this in. Can you imagine the looks on their faces?)**

**As I'm typing this, I only just woke up at 5:30 in the morning for a 14-hour drive to my grandmother's house in Florida. (We'll be stopping for a little bit in New Orleans. I've never been, but would like to go. For some reason, nobody seems to have thought about how the city's recovering since Katrina, so I would like to say that everyone who went through that was (and still is) in my prayers.) I'll probably get chapter one of part two finished (or at least started) but won't post it until Tuesday. For those of you who have me on alerts, I'll post an A/N at the end of this chapter when I post part two, so keep an eye out!**

**I would like to say- for anyone who may come across this in the future, just because I'm done updating doesn't mean don't review, because I will still reply to you (unless you're anonymous, but I will still love it). Reviews, no matter when they are given, are always received with a whoop and my parents' exasperated question of 'How many reviews now?' Mehehe, I know mom is glad I'm doing something other than watching TV all day, so she's not really annoyed. I think.**

**Now, I'm going to admit that I totally stole this off of the Chamber of Secrets movie. You'll understand when you read, trust me.**

**So, yeah, short chapter again, but it fit. My apologies- I just couldn't prolong it and turn it into something long-winded and boring. Aaaanywaaay...**

**Disclaimer: I HATH TELEKINESIS! Other than that, I got nuthin'.**

* * *

James crouched behind the bushes, watching the cage full of pixies hungrily. He knew what he wanted for their prank now and would let nothing dissuade him.

Not even a certain whiny werewolf.

"James, this is stupid," Remus hissed next to him. "We're going to get caught! And even if we aren't, how are you hoping to smuggle a cage full of pixies into the Great Hall anyway?"

"I'm still working on that. Lighten up, Moony! We already know how we're going to get the cage, so that's half of your worrying rendered unnecessary right there." James patted him on the back cheerfully.

"Since when do you know what the word 'render' means?" Remus asked.

"Since Liz taught me. Now shut up, unless you really do want us to get caught." James placed a hand on Remus' head and forced his head back down.

Liz and Sirius, James knew, should be coming around with Peter in a few minutes. They had gone to the castle to collect some supplies and were hiding just inside the Forbidden Forest, where they'd be doing some (hopefully) exceptional makeup work.

Right on cue, Liz and Sirius came sprinting out of the woods and dived behind the bush with them. Sirius' hands and Liz's cheek were smudged with something that looked horribly like blood.

"Peter's psyching himself up now," Sirius said, blowing a stray lock of hair out of his eyes. "I expect we'll be hearing from him in a moment-"

"AAAAAGHHHHHHH!" They jumped as a bloodcurdling shriek cut through the silence. Professor Kettleburn jumped as well, then, after a moment of looking around wildly, hurried into the Forbidden Forest in the direction of the screams.

"Go, go, go!" James said, leaping over the bush and sprinting for the cage. Sirius was right behind them.

Remus and Liz hurried for the Forest, yelling "PETER!" at the top of their lungs.

"How long do you reckon we have?" Sirius asked as James pulled his invisibility cloak out.

"Levitation charm, you idiot!" James snapped as the yells died down.

"Oh! Right!" Sirius pointed his wand at the cage. "Wingardium Leviosa!" The twenty or so pixies inside leered at him, baring their teeth angrily. Sirius hissed back at them before running for the cover of the bushes.

James threw the cloak over the cage, grabbed it off the table and hurried after Sirius. The moment they were both back in their hiding spot, James partially uncovered the cage, set it down, and peeked through the bushes. Sirius poked his head through next to his. They watched in silence as a limping Peter, supported by Liz and Remus, made their way up to the castle. A moment later, Professor Kettleburn reappeared, shaking his head. The two boys watched with interest as the one-armed teacher spotted the empty table and gave a yell.

Sirius snickered. "This is great," he snorted as the professor recollected himself and began scanning the grounds.

"Shall we get going?" James asked as he pulled the cloak over himself and Sirius.

"So we shall," Sirius replied, lifting the cage. They carefully stepped over the bushes and followed the other Marauders up to the castle.

"Hey, James?" Sirius said suddenly as they passed a group of students clustered around the Whomping Willow. "You know Liz?"

"Um…yeah?" James said, wondering where he was going with this.

"Do you think she likes me?"

James frowned. "Of course she likes you- she wouldn't talk to you if she didn't. Any other stupid questions?"

"I meant, as, you know… more than a friend." Sirius blushed.

James wanted to die. He was positive that Liz liked Remus and vice versa- they were either too thick to notice it, or too embarrassed to acknowledge it. Either way, it didn't bode well for Sirius. "I- geez, Sirius, why do you want to know?"

"No reason," Sirius said too hurriedly. James groaned to himself, but tried not to let any emotion show on his face.

"Uh-huh. Sirius, please cut the crap and pretend I know why you want to know- you like her, don't you?" James couldn't believe he'd missed it. How thick could someone get, anyway? Of course, seeing as how he knew Peter, that wasn't saying much, but…

Sirius turned an even brighter red than before. "Yeah," he muttered.

James sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, mate. She likes-"

"Remus. I know." Sirius sighed. "It's hard to hate him, since she's probably the only girl who'll want him with his condition-" James frowned. "But that doesn't stop me from being jealous…" he gazed off into the distance. "Can we just forget I said anything?"

James put a hand on his shoulder. "I wouldn't let yourself become obsessed with a girl, Sirius. It's unhealthy."

"I'm not obsessed!" Sirius protested. "I just like her."

"Look, I suggest you wait until we're a bit older and see if you still like her then. Sound good?"

"Sure," Sirius muttered. They walked in silence for a few moments before he said, "So… Lily Evans, huh?"

* * *

Liz and Remus helped Peter limp out of Professor Kettleburn's sight before they let Peter walk on his own. They were supposed to go to the Hospital Wing, but that was assuming Peter had actually hurt his leg. After they got into the castle, they ducked into the antechamber where the first years waited to be sorted. Peter plopped down on a desk and pulled his right pant leg up.

"Can you guys help me get these bandages off? They really itch," he said, tugging at them.

"Sure," Liz said. She and Remus tugged at the bandages until they came off to reveal a bloody mess underneath. Even though she knew it was fake, Liz still wanted to barf.

Remus wrinkled his nose. "Who did the work?"

"Mostly Sirius, but I made the fake blood." Liz pulled a soft wad of candle wax off of Peter's leg and rolled it between her fingers. "He showed me this trick he learned when he was a kid, back when he wanted his parents' attention- he'd take wax and smash it on his arm and cut it with a blunt knife, then put fake blood in the slice. If you do it right, it looks just like a real cut-" she broke off when she caught sight of the scar on Remus' face. She winced. "Sorry," she mumbled.

"S'all right," Remus said, shrugging. Liz hated how he said it so casually- he shouldn't be acting like it was no big deal! They had to figure out a way to help him, they just had to!

The door open and they whirled around, hearts in their mouths, but nobody was there. Liz sighed.

"Shut the door, you idiots," she said, stepping in front of Peter's leg to hide it from curious eyes. The door snapped shut, then the invisibility cloak was dropped to the floor. James and Sirius stood there, Sirius clutching the cage full of pixies.

"Sorry," James said unapologetically, stuffing the cloak back in his bag. He spotted Peter's leg and turned an interesting green color. "Nice work," he said, averting his eyes. "Now, who wants to help me change the pixies' color?" Four hands went up in the air, Remus' a little reluctantly. "You know what to do, then."

After they finished giving the pixies a makeover, the Marauders slipped under the cloak once more and snuck into the Great Hall.

The prank they were going to pull off would be simple, but extremely distructive without being so damaging that they would get expelled. Sirius levitated James up to the same corner where they'd strung up Millie Mae and the false Marauders, then he got to work attaching the cage to the wall with spiderwebs. Meanwhile, Liz floated Remus up to the wall behind the head table, where he wrote the words that would change everyone's perception of them. No longer would they be the group of Gryffindors who goofed off in class or read studiously or failed epically, no longer the kids who had strange inside jokes that not even they understood anymore, no longer the scared first years who tripped over themselves at the sorting.

After tonight, they would be the Marauders: pranksters extraordinare.

Liz couldn't wait to see everyone's faces when they revealed it, though she was a little apprehensive about doing so after they set a cage full of pixies loose in the Great Hall. That would probably not go down so well with some kids.

Especially since they would be having soup at dinner tonight.

After she let Remus down, she said, "Obscuro," Liz said, and the words vanished. "You done yet?" she called to James and Sirius.

"Nearly," James called, twitching the corner of the cloak to cover the cage except for the door. The pixies waved their tiny fists at him through the bars. "Okay, you can let me down now."

Sirius flicked his wand and James plummeted through the air. Liz screamed as James fell, yelling, through the air. Sirius caught him at the last second, James' hand just brushing the cold floor.

Sirius was laughing like an idiot, but James was almost as pale as Remus. "Are. You. Mental!" He yelled. "What if you hadn't caught me?"

"But I did," Sirius cackled. "Stop yelling, James, someone will hear you!"

James glared at him. His lip twitched, and the next second, he was laughing as well. Liz and Remus exchanged exasperated looks. How they managed to get stuck with the biggest idiots in their year was beyond them.

**xxx**

"And so, when the third brother grew old, he gave his invisibility cloak to his son, and greeted Death like an old friend," James was saying as Liz pushed open the door to the boys' room.

"Hey guys, what's up?" she asked, siting next to Remus.

"James was telling us the tale of the Deathly Hallows," Remus said. "He did a really good job of it, too- spooky voices in all the right parts and everything."

"You couldn't have waited for me, could you?" Liz asked. "That one's my favorite!"

"I liked the Wizard and the Hopping Pot better," Peter said.

"The Wizard's Hairy Heart was a better scary story," Sirius argued.

"Anyway," James interrupted," The invisibility cloak we have now is the one in the story. We're descended from the Peverells, you know."

"So your cloak's a Hallow?" Liz asked skeptically.

James shrugged. "I don't think the Hallows exist, you know? But the Resurrection Stone sounds cool, doesn't it? I'd be able to talk to my descendants that way!"

Liz chose not to reply to this and said instead, "So your stuff's all packed then?"

"Yup," James said, pointing to his open trunk where things were practically falling out. "Want to help me close it?"

"I'll do it," Sirius said, rolling off his bed and forcing the lid down as far as it would go. James and Liz jumped on the lid until it snapped shut.

"It would be less work if you just took the time to pack neatly," Remus said as Liz flopped back on his bed.

"But this was much more fun," Liz said, grinning. He sighed and shook his head.

"So, is it time for dinner yet?" Peter asked, bouncing eagerly on his bed. "I can't wait for the whole school to know we're the Marauders!"

Me neither, Pete, but try not to look so excited! We don't want to give away that it's us until the DRAMATIC REVEAL," James said, deepening his voice on the last two words.

"I think Lily suspects we're going to do something," Liz said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "She was giving me the stink-eye while we packed."

"Ah, let her suspect whatever she wants," James said. "Everyone will know by tonight, anyway."

"You do realize we're probably going to get about a month's worth of detentions for all the pranks we've pulled?" Remus asked.

"So?" James, Sirius and Liz said at the same time. They slapped a three way high five.

"So, is it time for dinner yet?" Peter asked again.

"I think so. Shall we go?" Sirius asked James.

"We shall go!" James grabbed one of Sirius' wrists in one hand, and one of James' in the other, and one of Remus' in the other, and dragged them out of the dorm. Liz seized Peter by the tie and dragged him after them.

The Great Hall was decorated with blue and bronze, and a giant stylized eagle was hanging on the wall above the doors. As they went to their seats, they passed by Lily and her friends.

"Looks like Gryffindor didn't win after all," Lily said, glaring at Liz.

Liz frowned. "Er, okay?"

Lily sighed. "Don't you remember the bet we made after you got back late that night you were supposed to serve detention?"

Liz thought about it. "Oh… you mean the one where I said we'd win the House Cup? I totally forgot about that." In all honesty, she had. Liz had just been too busy with Charms homework, trying to discover Remus' secret, and planning pranks with the Marauders to really think about House Cups and whatnot.

Lily sighed. "I figured as much. Looks like I win the bet then."

"All right, you won. May I go to my seat now? I'm hungry." Liz waited until Lily turned around, then went with the guys to their usual spots.

"What was that all about?" James asked after he and Peter had crawled under the table to the opposite side.

"It's a long story," Liz said. "I'll tell you about it on the train tomorrow."

"Don't forget," James said sternly. He half-glanced at the corner where the pixies' cage resided. He grinned. "This is going to be great!"

After the rest of the students had taken their seats, Professor Dumbledore stood up. "Yet again, the year seems to have flown by! Now, before we can commence with our feast, there is the matter of the House Cup to attend to…In fourth place, Slytherin, with three hundred and five points; in third place, Gryffindor, with three hundred and twenty points; in second place, Hufflepuff, with three hundred and ninety six points; and in first place, Revenclaw, with four huddled and thirty points."

The Ravenclaw table exploded into cheers. Liz and the Marauders, along with the rest of the school, joined in. As long as Slytherin lost, they were happy.

"Now then," Dumbledore continued, "I mentioned at the beginning of the year that students were to stay away from the Whomping Willow, and I must once again reinforce this rule. Mr. Davey Gudgeon was taken to the Hospital Wing this afternoon, and although Madam Pomferey is confident he will regain full use of his eye, this is not an incident I want repeated. Anyone who goes near the Willow will now be given a detention and will lose House Points."

Whispers broke out among the students. Liz looked at James, who went pale. "Davey Gudgeon…Isn't he the Ravenclaw boy who I beat at the Whomping Willow game?"

"I think so," Sirius muttered. "I hope he's alright…"

"Now then," Dumbledore said as the chatter died down. "I believe it's time we had our feast now." He clapped his hands and the food appeared on the tables. Liz eyed the soup tureen. She didn't doubt that by the end of the feast, somebody would be wearing that soup on their head. Oh well. With her luck, it would more than likely be her, but that was a small price to pay in exchange for a great prank.

The food was even better than all the other feasts put together, if that was even possible. About halfway through, the Marauders exchanged looks and grinned. Liz pointed her wand from under the table at the currently invisible words on the wall behind Dumbledore. "Aparecium."

Students gasped as the Marauders' trademark red and gold words appeared:

**Greetings, fellow students! The Marauders are proud to present your mealtime entertainment…by the way, you might want to cover your head.**

"What is the meaning of this?" Professor McGonagall demanded, right at the moment James pointed his own wand at the pixies' cage door.

"Alohamora!"

Instantly, the Great Hall erupted into chaos. Twenty pixies, charmed so that they were no longer electric blue but scarlet with gold wings, burst from the concealed cage. They seized platters of food and flung them everywhere. Two of them grabbed Frank Longbottom and hoisted him into the air, hanging him off a hook that kept the great Ravenclaw banner aloft. One of them grabbed the soup tureen, just like Liz had predicted, and upended it. The hot soup splashed all over the Marauders, drenching them with the salty broth and getting chunks of meat and vegetables in their hair. Liz thought she felt several green beans slide down the back of her shirt. Ew.

"Immobulus!" Professor Flitwick cried. The pixies instantly froze, floating in midair with dazed expressions on their malicious little faces.

Liz flicked her wand again, and more words appeared:

**Now presenting the Marauders!**

**James Potter**

James stood and bowed, clearly enjoying the attention. Several students gasped.

**Sirius Black**

Sirius stood as well, raising both hands in a victory salute.

**Remus Lupin**

Remus nodded graciously as he joined the others, his face bright red.

**Elizabeth Auberey**

Liz waved lazily as she stood as well. She smirked at the look on Victoria's face- priceless.

**Peter Pettigrew**

Peter grinned like a madman as his name was listed.

There was a stunned silence as the school stared at the Marauders. The pranksters who had destroyed the Slytherin common room, exploded Stinksap-filled pumpkins, iced over the Great Hall (though only Lily knew it was them) and released a swarm of pixies in the Great Hall were a bunch of soup-covered first years?

Finally, James broke the silence, like Liz guessed he would. "Hi."

Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared. "You're the ones who've been giving us trouble since the start of term?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sirius said, saluting her. "We're also the ones who iced over the Great Hall at Christmas. We taught Peeves that nose trick in exchange for his help."

Several students rubbed their noses as they recalled the times they had been assaulted by the poltergeist, Liz among them.

"Sorry about that," she said, grinning ruefully.

Professor Dumbledore waved his wand and the food vanished, as did the words. "You are to go with Professor McGonagall to her office. The rest of you are to enjoy what is left of the feast." Professor McGonagall stood and walked between the House tables to the Marauders.

"Come with me," she said stiffly. As they left the Great Hall, Sirius turned and bowed once more. Several students began to clap, then more, then more, until nearly the entire school was applauding them. Liz grinned. She could get used to this.

McGonagall's lips became, if it were possible, even thinner. "Out, now!" she barked. The doors swung shut behind them, muffling the sound of the clapping. As they followed their Head of House to her office, Liz's high spirits were replaced with dread. What would happen to them now? She rubbed her bitten wrist nervously, her mouth dry.

After they'd entered the office, Professor McGonagall turned to face them.

"Never, in all my time at Hogwarts-" she began her lecture. Liz tuned her out, staring at her feet as McGonagall went on and on. After an eternity, she finally stopped. "I am very disappointed in all of you. Fifty points each will be taken from Gryffindor and starting at the beginning of term next year, you will serve a month's worth of detention."

Liz sighed in relief. Detentions weren't so bad, and as for the points lost, well, the House Cup was over now anyway, so what did it matter? Even though Gryffindor was now in dead last with a grand total of seventy points, really, it didn't matter. Until… "And I will also be writing to your families."

Oh, crap.

Liz sighed. She was going to be in so much trouble.

**xxx**

The next day seemed to pass by slowly, but before she knew it, Liz was stepping off the Hogwarts Express, dragging her trunk and owl with her. Their first year at school was over, and she had two months before she had to go back to classes.

"Write often!" James said, setting his things down so he could hug everyone. "We'll have to get together in August for your birthday, Liz! We have a lake and everything, so we can throw you in then!"

"Oh, joy," she said drily. She laughed. "But yeah, we should get together…once we're all ungrounded."

"My mum is going to be so mad," Peter said nervously, looking at a plump blond woman who looked remarkably like him.

"She'll get over it," James said. He grabbed Peter in a headlock and gave him a boogie.

"Get off me!" Peter yelled.

"Group hug!" Sirius said. The Marauders became a tangle of elbows as they all attempted to hug everyone at once.

"I'll be seeing you," Liz said, spotting her family near the exit. "Write me!"

"Bye, Eb!" the boys said, then burst into laughter. "Jinx!" they cried. "You owe me a Butterbeer! Jinx! You owe me-"

Liz snorted and left them to their jinx-fest. She hauled her belongings to her parents, tripping in her haste to reunite with them. "Mum! Dad! Chris!" she cried. "I missed you guys!"

Her mother engulfed her in a hug, then held her at arm's length.

"Elizabeth Grace Auberey, you are in so much trouble, young lady."

* * *

**A/N: …**

…

…

**o_O**

**Wow.**

**That's it then. Part one is officially finished now. I feel…empty inside. But I have seven other parts to write, plus seven more spinoff fanfics, so yay! Happy feeling's back!**

**Did anyone else find James' comment about becoming obsessed with a girl as hilarious as I? Sorry, I couldn't resist putting that little bit of irony in my story…**

**While you guys are waiting for Part Two, go read the story His eyes knew only fear by AlecSky. It's about Remus when he went to Hogwarts and is honestly one of the best stories I've read on here- it definitely deserves more reviews.**

**Wow, random fact- we got pulled over by a police car for speeding. We were doing eighty in a seventy-five zone. Go figure. The officer let us go, though, so… *shrugs* Who knows? It was pretty scary, though.**

**Also, I would like to say this: I've noticed that a lot of people seem to think that if you use your name for an OC, and they look like you, that automatically makes them a Mary-Sue. Elizabeth is my middle name and looks exactly like me, right down to Bob the zit on my forehead. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure she's not a MS (God forbid), since she has her ups and downs like any regular person. And it's not like I wasted an entire paragraph on her description in chapter one- it was just one sentence. Even better, I don't describe her outfit EVERY SINGLE TIME SHE CHANGES (And before you ask, there will be no pink ripped fishnets or whatever. Ick.) Sorry, rant over. If you believe otherwise, please tell me why, because I would love to hear it!**

**Remember to keep your eyes peeled for a notice that will be posted as chapter 21, letting you know that Part Two is up! Remember, it'll be sometime Tuesday evening!**

**All right, here goes nothing! *cracks knuckles* Now, I don't know how to find the list of people who added me to their author alerts, but for reviewers and story followers and favoriters, here is that thank you I promised!**

**To Story Followers:**

**ammunition**

**Amyb11**

**AnimexXxGoddess**

**Break This Spell666**

**Cathie Cathie**

**Dovewing123**

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**JennLD**

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**Lizaluvsdoggies**

**LoveAlwaysWaits**

**millie-mae**

**Negrum Equitum**

**ParticularlyGoodFINDer44**

**PenBeatsSword**

**PHOENiiXX**

**Ravenclaw53**

**Sapphire Psycho**

**snarlingwolf**

**SonyaWho**

**Starbell Fairy**

**theblonde2243**

**TwinsOfNeptune**

**Willowcloud**

**windwalker28**

**xXRoyalxRayneXx**

**To Story Favorites:**

**1DirectionIsMyHusbandsBitches**

**ammunition**

**AsiDiLL**

**Cathie Cathie**

**earthlover8815**

**EphemeralFlames**

**IceLion**

**JennLD**

**Lizaluvsdoggies**

**LoveAlwaysWaits**

**nairn1572**

**neelie415**

**Negrum Equitum**

**Neo Nitro**

**Peaceful Watcher Soul**

**PHOENiiXX**

**siriuslyvivid**

**Steady Silence**

**theblonde2243**

**TwinsOfNeptune**

**windwalker28**

**And Reviewers (If there's an A next to their name, it's anonymous):**

**Hearts in Strangeness**

**millie-mae**

**Lizaluvsdoggies**

**foofooman3 (A)**

**JoeSax (A)**

**Avatarmecha (A)**

**Loyal bubblegum (A)**

**I sooo get tha (A)**

**Rocknroll chick (A)**

**Steady Silence**

**ammunition**

**Photochick (A)**

**siriuslyvivid**

**IceLion**

**SonyaWho**

**neelie415**

**Droupy48**

**windwalker28**

**AnimexXxGoddess**

**Starbell Fairy**

**TwinsOfNeptune**

**PHOENiiXX**

**theblonde2243**

**PenBeatsSword**

**JennLD**

**ParticularlyGoodFINDer44**

**Moony Lover (A)**

**flower child (A)**

**Cousin Zada/Zada/zadalynne (A)**

**snarlingwolf**

**spotted giraffe (A)**

**LoveAlwaysWaits**

**And, of course, all you guest reviewers who didn't leave me a name to recognize you by. Hugs to all of you and waffles!**

**Special thanks to:**

**millie-mae, because she was the first one to review my story when I was a pathetic newbie and has stuck through the whole way (and for letting me make her into a hated OC),**

**Lizaluvsdoggies, because she was another on who started early, stayed with it, and allowed me to bounce ideas off of her,**

**SonyaWho, for being my 100th reviewer- THANK YOU,**

**foofooman3, for letting me use his middle name, demanding I get the next chapter out before I even have it planned, and NOT setting my bed on fire,**

**Rocknroll chick, for editing several chapters and also urging me to write when I totally didn't feel like it, and for being the best sister-not-sister ever (BFFS, YEAH!),**

**My mom, because it turns out, she doesn't hate fanficton after all, hehe, and letting me hog the laptop during our road trip,**

**And the wonderful, amazing, brilliant, talented and EPIC Joanne Kathleen Rowling, for creating Harry Potter, which basically made me into who I am. he is the BEST! AUTHOR! EVER!**


	21. So we Reach the End

Me: Hey, guys! I just wanted to say that chapter one of Part Two is now up! Go read it, now!

James: Hey! Dndchk!

Me: Yes?

James: We've been reading ths, and I have to say- WHO THE HECK IS ELIZABETH?

Me: She's a (hopefully) non-Mary Sue self insert.

Sirius: Come again?

Me: It's another way of me saying that I warped your guys' reality because I got bored in class one day, and it somehow became popular.

Remus: It's your way of getting me and Sirius to fight over you? That's messed up.

Me: Hey, in my defense, I've seen worse stories that warp you guys so out of character it's given me nightmares! (Loopin and Serious.)

Remus: What?

Me: Nothing! You mediocer dunces.

Lily: Who the heck are Sarah and Victoria?

Me: Random OCs I made because you're the only girl I know in your guys' year. Don't ask.

Lily: Do you really think I'd be friends with girls like them?

Me: *shrugs*

Sirius: So, when do you take Elizabeth and come up with some totally unrealistic explanation as to why nobody remembers her?

Me: Not until part eight. And don't worry- It's semi-realistic, at least. It could be worse, though- I could totally mess with the canon story and just say that there was a fifth Marauder who just conveniently doesn't ever show up in Rowling's universe…

Everyone: Whaaaaat?

Me: Hehehe.

Peter: How come I only got one section in my point of view throughout this whole story, anyway?

Me: Because I'm a lazy bum who doesn't like you. At all.

Remus: If you don't like him, how come you're going to be meaner to me than him?

Me: Because, as a Remus fangirl, I am required to put you in the most miserable, angsty situations to make you seem more desirable.

Remus:…I don't get it.

Me: Me neither! Haha!

Sirius: You're not a Sirius fangirl? *pouts*

Me: Although you're my third favorite character-

James: Who's your second?

Me: Fred and George Weasley- it's a tie, although I do like George better than Fred for some strange, unfathomable reason.

James: But that's two people.

Me: SHUT IT, BAMBI!

James: BAMBI? BAMBI? EXCUSE ME?

Me: Hehe. Anyway, although I like Sirius, it's my friend Rocknroll chick who's the true Sirius fangirl.

Sirius: Is she hot?

Me: …Well, since I'm not a guy, I'm not really the best person to ask, but yeah, you'd probably find her hot.

Remus: *shaks head* I'm surprised I have any fangirls at all, being a- well, you know… Er, how did we get on the subject of this again?

Me: I have absolutely no idea.

Lily: But you're the one writing this!

Me: Hey, I had like thirty cups of coffee this morning, alright?

Foofooman3: You had one, you moop.

Me: GET OUT OF MY STORY! *shoves him off the laptop*

(scuffling noises in the background)

Foofooman3: HEY EVERYONE! SPOILERS! Elizabeth turns into a *********** and ******* *******. She ********* then ****** ******!

James: You do realize Dndchk's going to edit that so no one can see it?

Foofooman3: I typed it in asterisks, so it doesn't matter. Anyway, Remus! Did you know my sister has had a crush on you since she was six?

Everyone: …. O_o

Remus: Okay, this is just getting really weird.

(more scuffling noises)

Me: Um. Hi.

Remus: *edges slowly away*

Me: Um. Yeah. Anyway, I should probably wrap this up- I don't know why I wrote this to be so long and ridiculously stupid.

Lily: But… you're the one controlling all of this…

Me: Yeah, I know. I'm just writing this now instead of chapter 20 like I should be.

James: But you've already posted chapter 20.

Me: Not at the time I'm writing this, no.

Sirius: Now I'm really confused.

James: Because, as we all know, it is so hard to do that.

(they draw their wands and start dueling)

Me: Anyway, thanks to everyone for reading this, and hope you all like Part Two!

(CRASH) *Foofooman3 somehow regains entry into this story, but the author won't tell why because she is about to fall asleep and is being boring.*

Foofooman3: Remus and Dndchk, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G-

Remus: AVADA KEDAVRA!

Me: ...Okay, I'm kidding about that. Foo's still here, just reading over my shoul-

Foofooman3: *shoves his _talented_ and _wonderful_ sister out of the way and puts his germ-infested hands on the laptop* I'LL BE BACK! *fires a random phaser at an even more random Gorn, because there are no bamboo canons in this lousy attempt at humor*

Me: Okay, what was that all about? *cleans laptop with a disinfectant wipe*

James: Do I really need to point out, once more, that you're still the one writing this?

Me: Ah, point. I'm going to go now before I warp anyone more out of character and finish chapter 20 like a good girl. See you guys in second year, where you will have no memory of this random and utterly pointless conversation.

*Foofooman3 runs across the Donkey Kong video game screen yelling FLAPPY NINJA BIRD!* *he trips over a flaming barrel and dies*

Me: … Okay, I'm not even sure where that came from. See you guys in my next story!

(Foofooman3 stands up and begins chasing me with a Super Smash Brothers Brawl baseball bat)

Me: NOOOOOOOOO!

Remus: Okay, it's official- my fangirls are insane.

(In the distance, Foo conks me in the head and I fall over with a cartoon bump on my head)

Me: Yes. Yes they are. Oh, and here are the anonymous reviews I forgot to add last chapter! My apologies!

Foofooman3: RAWR!

* * *

**zadalynne:** I love this more than the original Harry Potter. OXOXOXOX :) Sabrina

**Aww, thanks, but... I still think JKR is a much better author.**

* * *

**zadalynne: **I can't believe I'm almost done with what you've written so far.  
P.S. flobber worm! & I do know the answer to the question are the top. She goes back in time and kills herself as a baby.

**Hmm, interesting theory. What the heck is with the flobberworm?**

* * *

**zadalynne:**Or everyone's memory is wiped? And the Marauder's Map is redone or something?  
Update update update! I loooive this sabrina!

**I loooooive this too! You've really put a lot of thought into your theories, haven't you?**

* * *

**spotted giraffe: **i am absolutely IN LOVE with this story! DRANSEAU IS FINALLY GONE! I AM SO HAPPY! he made me very angry. /:( pouting face. but thank goodness he's gone! i absolutely can NOT wait for the next chapter!

**Go find it now then! And yes, Dranseau made me mad too :(**

* * *

**spotted giraffe: **AMAZING! i love this story! can't wait for part 2! :)

**Here you go, then!**


	22. Sorry, Guys

A/N: Hi, y'all, I am so so so so so so so so so SO sorry for the wait. I'm *gasp!* still grounded, but now I'm not allowed ANY computer time except for moments snatched on my mom's iPhone. That's sad. I only managed to post this because my AWESOME friend HomestuckQueen, as I am now calling her on here, loaned me her phone so I could type this and she could post for me. :D  
So: chapter thirteen's almost done, and I'll get straight to work on fourteen, fifteen, and so on. I only know I'll be ungrounded when my grades pick up :/ so, yeah. At the very, most extreme worse, I won't be able to update until late December, but that is the worst-case scenario.  
Don't worry, I haven't abandoned you! Love the reviews (hey, JoeSax, you got your own account! Nice!) and I still get to peek at them at odd times, so you guys keep me going! Rock on!  
Oh, and just so you all know- *takes deep breath* JK ROWLING SAID SHE'S THINKING ABOUT WRITING A SPINOFF SERIES TO HARRY POTTER AND THAT SHE WILL ACTUALLY TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE IT THOUGHTFULLY AND OH MY WIZARD GOD THAT IS FREAKING AMAZING CAN YOU TELL I'M EXCITED WHAT IS THIS EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEE!  
*does a touchdown dance to end all touchdown dances*  
Best. News. EVER!  
Alright, according to fan fiction rules, I have to post something resembling a chapter, so here you go!  
Disclaimer: If I owned it, I wouldn't be grounded. Humph.  
Rumbleroar invited the Dobbymeister over for crumpets, but when George discovered Firenze had eaten all the duck tape, Hermione killed a kitten.  
Harry flew threw space on an asteroid and murdered the crap out of Ebony (Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way) and Sporked her with the Holy Spork of Gryffindor (used for sporking Mary-Sues. Batteries not included, you scrimp!)  
WHY IS THE RUM GONE!  
I like new socks. I like to smell them after their first use.  
Pigfarts Pigfarts yum yum yum!  
Redvines!  
Voldemort, ruler of Lala Land, ate nine.  
The end.  
A/N: Pretty weird, I know. Again, I apologize for the lame excuses. It makes me so sad :(  
In other news, my BF and I did make it to the one year mark :) We went to Olive Garden, and he gave me a really pretty necklace and earring set. I got him a LOTR map poster. Not that you care. I'm just rambling now.  
Alright, I'll be back at least by late December, but hopefully it will be much, much sooner! Hugs to all!  
Until...uh...oh, forget it...  
-Dnschk  
*snore*


End file.
